UC-NRLF 


$B    3DM    T7D 


IT5  A»™  „ 


HAWAII 

Its  Agricultural 
Possibilities 


By  E.  V.  yyiLCox 

Special  Agent  In  Charge 
Hawaii  Agricultural  Experiment  Station 


ISSUED  BY  THE    BOARD   OF   COMMISSIONERS  FOR 
THE  TERRITORY  OF  HAWAII  OF  THE  ALASKA- 
YUKON  PACIFIC  EXPOSITION 


A.  F.  KNUDdEN,  CHAinMAN 
W.H,  BABBITT  A.W.CARTER 

JAMES  F.  MORGAN  J.  N.  S.  WILLIAMS 

H.  P.WOOD,  Secretary 
LOYD  CHILD8,  Special  Agent  AND 
Disbursing  Opficcr 


HONOLULU,  MAY  1909 


Urj 


CONTENTS 

The  climate  of  Hawaii  5 

Soils   6 

Unlimited  variety  of  crops   8 

Sugar   10 

Riee   11 

Sisal   13 

Rubber    14 

Tobacco 16 

Coffee    18 

Cotton 19 

Cassava  21 

Matting  plants    21 

Castor  bean 22 

Manila  hemp   22 

Corn   , 23 

Pineapples 23 

Bananas    25 

Mango    26 

Avocado   27 

Citrus   fruits    27 

Roselle    28 

Grapes   28 

Cocoanut    29 

Vanilla  30 

Papaya 30 

Flowers   31 

Sweet  potatoes  and  other  vegetables  32 

Silk    . 32 

Bees    33 

Forage   plants .' 33 

Live  stock   36 

What  Hawaii  offers  to  the  mainland  farmer 39 

Public  Lands   • 40 


COCOANUT  GROVE. 


THE  CLIMATE  OF  HAWAII 


One  of  the  important  factors  in  the  agriculture  of  any 
country,  is  the  climate.  In  this  respect,  Hawaii  is  very 
>favorably  situated,  being  favored  with  perhaps,  as  nearly 
as  may  be,  an  ideal  climate.  The  slight  daily  and  sea- 
sonal range  of  temperature  is  almost  as  striking  in  Ha- 
waii as  in  any  part  of  the  tropics,  while  the  maximum 
temperature  is  by  no  means  high.  A  temperature  of 
90°  F.  is  very  high  for  Hawaii.  In  Honolulu,  for  example, 
the  maximum  temperature  for  the  past  fifteen  years  is 
89°.  The  average  annual  temperature  ranges  in  Hono- 
lulu from  72.9°  to  74°  for  different  years.  During  the 
same  period,  the  lowest  recorded  temperature  was  52"  F., 
and  such  low  temperatures  ordinarily  persist  only  for  a 
few  hours.  The  daily  range  of  temperature  is  seldom 
greater  than  11°  F.  While  the  temperature  records  are 
more  complete  for  Honolulu  than  for  other  parts  of  the 
Islands,  there  are,  nevertheless,  long  continued  records 
at  certain  points  on  all  the  Islands;  and  these  records 
show  essentially  the  same  conditions  as  those  which  pre- 
vail in  Honolulu.  It  will  be  seen  from  these  statements 
that  there  are  no  sudden  changes  of  temperature  and  it 
should  also  be  noted  that  there  are  only  very  slight  and 
gradual  seasonal  changes.  The  average  daily  tempera- 
ture gradually  becomes  lower  during  the  winter  and  rises 
during  the  summer;  but  the  variation  is  so  slight  that 
there  may  be  summer  days  at  any  season  of  the  year. 

The  climatic  conditions  for  rapid  growth  of  vegetation 
are,  therefore,  about  as  favorable  as  could  possibly  be 
found.  Even  the  intensity  of  the  sunlight,  which  is 
characteristic  of  tropical  countries,  is  here  tempered  by 
the  almost  daily  occurrence  of  light  clouds  which  are 
formed  on  the  mountains  in  the  center  of  each  island  and 
are  slowly  drifted  out  over  the  leeward  side. 

While  the  climatic  conditions  nearer  sea  level  are  ex- 
ceedingly uniform,  it  is,  nevertheless,  possible  to  secure 
a  great  variety  of  climate  in  the  Territory  by  going  to 
different  altitudes  and  on  different  sides  of  the  island. 
On  account  of  the  prevalence  of  gentle  trade  winds  for 
about  260  days  of  the  year,  the  islands  are  naturally 
divided  into  a  windward  and  leeward  side,  the  windward 
side  lying  on  the  northeast.     On  the  windward  side,  the 

270147 


temperature  is  uniformly  lower  than  on  the  leeward  side, 
while  the  moisture  content  of  the  air  is  higher  and  the 
rainfall  greater.  The  climate  of  the  Territory  as  a  whole 
perhaps  varies  most  in  respect  to  rainfall,  which  may 
be  200  inches  or  more  per  year  on  the  windward  side  of 
the  islands,  while  it  gradually  diminishes  to  two  inches, 
or  even  less,  on  some  of  the  leeward  shores.  In  fact,  there 
are  localities  which  receive  no  rain  except  during  the 
occasional  "Kona,"  or  southwest  storms. 

The  winds  are  ordinarily  light,  and  Hawaii  is  never 
visited  by  the  fierce  hurricanes  of  most  tropical  countries. 
Paradoxical  as  it  may  seem,  the  winds  are  likely  to  be 
stronger  on  the  side  of  the  islands  opposite  that  from 
which  the  wind  comes.  The  humidity  of  the  air  is  uni- 
formly low,  which  makes  even  the  moderate  temperatures, 
which  prevail  in  the  Territory,  seem  lower  than  they 
really  are.  For  this  reason,  sun  strokes  are  of  the  rarest 
occurrence  in  the  Territory.  Electrical  disturbances  are 
also  of  exceedingly  rare  occurrence. 

The  slopes  are  relatively  steep  on  all  the  islands  ex-^ 
cept  near  the  sea  shore,  and  this  brings  about  a  rapid 
change  of  altitude  as  one  goes  from  the  shore-line-  toward 
the  interior.  The  highest  elevations  on  the  various 
islands  range  from  1400  feet  on  Kahoolawe  to  13,800 
feet  on  Hawaii.  At  higher  altitudes  frost  and  snow  are 
^een,  particularly  during  the  winter  months.  In  several 
fobalities  it  is  possible  to  enjoy  a  warm  sea  bath  and 
reach  snow  within  25  or  30  niiles.  On  account  of  the 
relatively  low  humidity  and  the  absence  of  excessively 
high  temperatures,  the  inhabitant  of  temperate  clim- 
ates upon  coming  to  Hawaii  is  able  to  do  physical  labor 
in  the  open,  such  as  he  is  accustomed  to,  and  is  better 
Off  iii  health  for  so  doing.  At  ordinary  elevations,  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Territory  live  practically  in  the  open 
air  the  year  round,  since  it  is  almost  never  necessary  to 
close  windows  or  to  seek  protection  against  the  weather, 
except  for  occasional  showers. 

THE  SOILS 

The  Hawaiian  Islands,  as  a  whole,  are  of  volcanic 
Qrigin  and  all  the  rocks  from  which  our  soils  have  been 
formed,  may  be  considered  as  basaltic  lava.  This  lava 
came  from  craters  or  crevices  formed  by  volcanic  erupt- 
ion, under  a  considerable  variety  of  forms,  and  the  orig- 
inal rock  material  was,   therefore,   solid,   smooth  masses 


? 

of  basalt,  broken  masses  of  such  material  containing 
cavities  in  which  steam  and  other  gases  were  formed,  or 
finely  divided  volcanic  cinder.  From  these  materials, 
the  present  agricultural  soils  have  been  formed  by  pro- 
cesses of  disintegration,  due  to  chemical  changes,  the 
effects  of  water;   and  the  growth  of  plants. 

From  the  standpoint  of  geological  chronology,  the 
Islands,  as  a  whole,  are  relatively  new;  and  the  soils 
have,  therefore,  not  been  subjected  to  as  many  changes 
as  have  occurred  in  older  agricultural  regions.  Our 
soils  differ  greatly  from  those  on  the  mainland,  and  can- 
not be  classified  without  considerable  qualification  in  the 
group  names  which  have  bewi  adopted  for  mainland  soils. 
Our  soils  are,  on  the  whole,  exceedingly  fertile,  due  partly 
to  the  original  abundant  store  of  plant  food  in  them, 
and  the  relatively  short  period  to  which  they  have  been 
subjected  to  leaching. 

The  soils  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands  are  sometimes  classi- 
fied,  according  to  color,  into  red,  yellow  and  black  soils. 
The  red  and  yellow  colors  are  due  to  the  presence  of  iron 
oxide,  the  yellow  soils  being  more  highly  transformed 
and  somewhat  less  fertile  than  the  red  soils.  The  color 
of  our  black  soils  is  due  to  the  presence  of  humus,  mag- 
netic iron  oxide,  or  manganese.  As  a  rule,  the  soil  are 
very  deep,  some  of  them  being  decomposed  in  place,  while 
others  are  partly  the  results  of  washing  from  higher 
levels.  Physically,  our  soils  are  characterized  by  the 
large  percentage  of  exceedingly  fine  granules.  In  some 
localities,  the  fineness  of  the  soils  compares  closely  with 
that  of  precipitated  chalk,  being  almost  an  impalpable 
powder.  In  other  localities  they  show  a  large  percentage 
of  granules,  giving  rise  to  the  term  "shotty"  soils.  Most 
of  our  soils  become  sticky  when  wet,  but  readily  disin- 
tegrate again  upon  drying  out. 

From  a  chemical  standpoint,  our  soils  are  characterized 
by  the  high  content  of  Iron,  which  ranges  from  fifteen 
to  forty  or  sixty,  and  in  exceptional  cases,  80%.  The 
iron  is  present  in  all  of  the  usual  forms  or  oxide.  The 
content  of  phosphoric  acid  and  nitrogen  is  relatively 
high,  but  these  elements  are  not  always  in  the  most 
available  form.  Potash  is  present  in  about  the  same 
•  percentage  as  occurs  on  the  mainland.  Manganese  is 
found  in  our  soils  to  a  much  higher  degree  than  on  the 
mainland,  constituting,  in  some  of  the  black  soils,  as 
much  as  ten  per  cent,  of  the  total  constituents.  Titanium 
IS  also  relatively  abundant  in  the  soils.     Lime  has  been 


leached  out  from  many  of  the  soils,  but  may  be  readily 
restored  by  applying  coral  sand,  which  is  chiefly  carbon- 
ate of  lime,  and  in  the  best  possible  form  for  soil  improve- 
ment. 

When  plowed  deeply,  our  soils  are  exceedingly  reten- 
tive of  moisture,  as  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  cotton  and 
various  other  plants  thrive  in  a  wild  condition  where  no 
rain  falls  except  once  or  twice  per  year,  and  then  only 
to  the  extent  of  one  or  two  inches.  Moreover,  good  crops 
of  alfalfa  and  forty  bushels  of  corn  per  year  have  been 
produced  with  two  inches  of  rainfall  without  irrigation. 
One  of  the  most  important  points  in  soil  cultivation, 
which  has  been  demonstrated  by  the  sugar  planters,  is 
the  great  value  of  deep  plowing.  Some  of  our  soils  are 
commonly  plowed  to  a  depth  of  two  or  three  feet,  and 
are  thus  put  in  condition  to  hold  and  store  the  rainfall 
for  the  benefit  of  the  crop.  The  soils  are  easily  kept  in 
good  tilth  and  great  fertility  by  deep  plowing,  suitable 
crop  rotation,  and  the  application  of  fertilizers  to  replace 
special  elements  of  plant  food  removed  by  the  crops. 

On  account  of  the  porous  nature  of  the  underlying 
rocks  in  most  localities,  the  rain  may  penetrate  to  great 
depths,  but  a  large  part  of  this  water  supply  is  recovered 
by  means  of  artesian  wells,  which  have  been  developed 
as  extensively  and  as  skillfully  here  as  anywhere  in  the 
world. 

UNLIMITED  VARIETY  OF  CROPS. 

On  account  of  the  range  of  altitude  on  the  different 
islands,  we  have  conditions  suitable  for  the  growth  of 
almost  all  the  agricultural  crops  of  the  world.  While 
at  present  sugar  is  the  main  crop,  there  are  also  large 
plantations  of  coffee,  rice,  sisal,  rubber,  fruits,  forage 
plants,  etc.  Various  kinds  of  hay,  alfalfa,  matting  plants, 
tobacco,  corn,  cotton,  wheat  and  other  cereals,  sorghum, 
Manila  hemp,  Sansevieria,  and  other  field  crops  are  found 
in  thriving  condition  in  various  parts  of  the  islands.  In 
the  production  of  fruits,  there  is  practically  no  limit, 
either  in  the  fruits  of  temperate  climates  at  higher  alti- 
tudes, or  of  tropical  fruits  at  lower  altitudes.  The  fruits 
and  nuts  actually  grown  at  the  present  time,  include,* 
pineapple,  banana,  mango,  orange,  citron,  lemon,  man- 
darin, pomelo,  shaddock,  lime,  grape,  avocado,  fig,  cocoa- 
nut,  vanilla,  strawberry,  roselle,  papaia,  mangosteen, 
kumquat,  loquat,  monstera,  sour  sop.  sweet  sop,  custard 


BREAD    FRUIT. 


apple,  cheiimoya,  macadamia  nut,  betel  nut,  dates, 
mountain  apple,  rose  apple,  water  apple,  cayenne  cherry, 
bush  cherry,  jambolan  plum,  water  lemon,  guava,  grena- 
dilla,  tamarind,  cacao,  castor  bean,  annatto,  ginger, 
cashew  nut,  mammee  apple,  star  apple,  oil  palm  seeds, 
tuna,  ohelo  berry,  carambola,  bread  fruit,  durian,  pome- 
granate, otaheite  gooseberry,  peach,  apple,  cherry,  apri- 
cot, kukui  nut,  bhel  fruit,  indigo,  sapodilla,  longan, 
leitchee,  wii,  poha,  wampii,  cinnamon,  cinchona,  vegeta- 
ble ivory  palm,  and  nearly  all  of  the  known  palms.  In 
the  line  of  garden  vegetables,  we  can  successfully  raise 
almost  the  entire  list  of  such  crops,  including  sweet  po- 
tato, Irish  potato,  taro,  pia  or  cassava,  tomato,  pepper, 
cabbage,  onion,  beet,  raddish,  lettuce,  asparagus,  beans, 
peas,  turnip,  carrot,  melons,  squash,  pumpkin,  egg  plant, 
celery,  cauliflower,  spinach;  and  a  long  list  of  oriental 
vegetables  used  chiefly  by  the  asiatics.  In  the  line  of 
legumes,  we  are  producing  cow  peas,  soy  beans,  Jack 
beans,  alfalfa,  pigeon  pea,  lupines,  beans,  peas,  sulla,  etc. 

The  Hawaiian  Islands  may  be  said  to  be  capable  of 
developing  an  almost  absolute  independence  so  far  as 
food  supply,  wearing  material,  and  woods  for  fuel  and 
construction  are  concerned.  The  long  list  of  food  prod- 
ucts, which  have  already  been  mentioned,  shows  that  we 
have  everything  which  could  be  desired  in  that  direction. 
In  addition  to  vegetable  food  materials,  we  produce  beef, 
mutton,  pork,  poultry  of  all  kinds,  and  eggs,  as  also  an 
abundance  of  deer,  pheasants  and  other  game  birds,  and 
an  unusual  variety  of  fish  in  our  waters.  Last  year  about 
1,000  tons  of  honey  were  produced  in  the  Islands.  To 
those  who  are  interested  in  fiber  plants  and  wearing  ma- 
terial, it  is  only  necessary  to  mention  that  our  sisal  ranks 
the  very  highest  on  the  market;  that  our  cotton  has  been 
declared,  by  the  Bremen  Cotton  Exchange,  to  be  of  the 
finest  quality  which  they  have  ever  seen;  and  that  in 
addition  to  these  fibers,  we  can  produce  Manila  hemp, 
bow-string  hemp,  a  long  list  of  native  fibers,  silk  and 
wool.  We  are  also  well  supplied  with  leather  made  from 
the  hides  of  cattle,  sheep,  goats  and  deer.  In  the  matter 
of  woods  for  furniture  and  ornamental  purposes,  there  is 
nothing  which  can  surpass  the  koa.  Bamboo  is  also 
present  in  suflficient  quantities  for  ornamental  construc- 
tion;  and  rattan  has  recently  been  introduced. 

From  this  list  of  agricultural  products,  which  are  now 
successfully  grown  in  Hawaii,  it  is  apparent  that  the 
farmer  from  any  country  may  make  a  selection  which  will 


10 

suit  his  own  purposes.  Many  of  the  crops  which  have 
been  shown  to  be  profitable  here  have  not  been  developed 
on  their  proper  commercial  basis,  but  for  the  commercial 
and  profitable  development  of  these  minor  industries,  we 
need  nothing  but  more  farmers  of  skill  and  intelligence. 

SUGAR. 

Sugar  cane  is  apparently  indigenous  to  the  Hawaiian 
Islands,  as  is  also  true  for  many  Pacific  islands.  At  any 
rate,  at  the  time  of  the  first  visit  of  Captain  Cook,  sugar 
cane  was  grown  and  eaten  by  the  natives.  The  first  ex- 
portation of  sugar  was  made  in  1837,  since  which  time 
the  industry  has  grown  until  in  1908,  the  yield  was 
521,000  tons,  valued  at  more  than  $40,000,000.  The 
varieties  principally  grown  at  present  are  "Lahaina," 
"Rose  Bamboo"  and  "Yellow  Caledonia."  The  Sugar 
Planters'  Association  maintains  an  Experiment  Station 
by  assessment  upon  the  various  companies,  devoting 
$70,000  annually  to  the  Experiment  Station  work.  The 
chief  work  of  the  Station  has  been  along  the  lines  of 
insect  control,  the  eradication  of  fungus  diseases,  exam- 
ination of  fertilizers,  soil  studies,  cultural  methods  and 
the  technical  details  of  sugar  manufacture.  One  of  the 
most  conspicuous  practical  results  brought  about  by  the 
Experiment  Station  is  the  successful  control  of  a  number 
of  insect  pests  of  sugar  cane,  particularly  the  leaf-hopper, 
which,  before  the  introduction  of  parasities,  did  damage 
to  the  extent  of  millions  of  dollars;  but  was  brought 
under  practical  control,  by  means  of  parasities,  within 
two  or  three  years.  Attention  has  been  given  to  the 
propagation  of  new  varieties  by  means  of  hybridization 
and  the  growing  of  seedling  canes,  and  some  promising 
results  have  geeri  obtained  along  that  line. 

There  are  213,000  acres  planted  in  sugar  cane,  partly 
on  land  owned  by  sugar  planters,  and  partly  on  leased 
land.  About  105,000  acres  of  this  land  have  been  re- 
claimed by  irrigation,  at  a  cost  of  about  $15,000,000. 
About  41,000  tons  of  fertilizers,  in  addition  to  stable 
manure  are  used  annually  in  the  production  of  cane. 

From  these  figures  it  is  apparent  that  sugar  is  the  chief 
agricultural  industry  of  the  Islands,  and  that  the  main 
industries  of  the  Islands  are  at  present,  in  one  way  or 
another,  dependent  upon  the  sugar  industry.  The  agri- 
cultural and  milling  machinery  used  on  the  plantations 
is  of  the  very  best  and  most  improved  form.     The  chief 


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lesson  to  be  learned  from  the  sugar  industry  by  those 
engaging  in  other  lines  of  agricultural  work,  is  the 
thoroughness  of  cultivation  which  the  planters  perform, 
and  the  business-like  methods  which  are  characteristic; 
of  the  whole  industry.  On  all  of  the  larger  plantations, 
the  land  is  plowed  to  a  depth  of  from  one  to  three  feet, 
thus  furnishing  a  soil  reservoir  for  the  retention  of  mois- 
ture and  a  deep  feeding  ground  for  the  cane.  The  first 
crop  of  cane  is  obtained  in  about  18  months  and  is  fol- 
lowed by  a  ratoon  crop  in  14  months;  and  the  second 
ratoon  crop,  18  months  later.  A  third  ratoon  crop  may 
be  obtained,  but  seems  not  to  be  profitable  under  our 
conditions.  The  average  yield  of  sugar  per  acre  is  a  little 
more  than  four  tons. 

The  land  suitable  for  raising  sugar  cane  has  nearly 
all  been  taken  up  for  that  purpose.  There  are,  here  and 
there,  however,  small  areas  where  farmers  might  raise 
cane  and  sell  it  to  sugar  .mills.  There  are  also  a  few 
areas  suitable  for  large  plantations  which  are  now  devot- 
ed to  other  purposes.  The  sugar  planters  employ  a  large 
number  of  trained  agriculturists  and  engineers  of  various 
sorts  in  the  management  of  their  plantations. 

RICE. 

Rice  was  introduced  into  the  Islands  as  a  commercial 
cereal  in  1858.  Interest  in  this  crop  developed  rapidly, 
and  in  1862  the  first  exportation  of  rice  took  place.  Since 
this  date  it  has  increased  until  now  there  are  12,000 
acres  cultivated  in  rice,  producing  an  annual  crop  valued 
at  $2,500,000.  Rice  is  the  chief  article  of  diet  of  the 
orientals,  and  its  production  is  almost  entirely  in  the 
hands  of  Chinese.  Two. crops  are  produced  annually,  one 
in  the  spring,  and  one  in  the  fall;  and  corresponding 
with  these  semi-annual  crops,  are  spring  and  fall  varie- 
ties of  rice.  The  annual  yield  of  clean  rice  ranges  from 
3,000  to  6,000  pounds  per  acre,  and  the  net  profit  per 
acre,  from  $50  to  $100.  Careful  estimates  place  the  cost 
of  production  at  $3.00  to  $3.75  per  hundred  pounds. 
The  prices  received  for  rice  in  1908  ranged  from  $4.25 
to  $5.00  per  hundred  pounds.  The  rental  ordinarily  paid 
for  rice  land  varies  from  $10.00  to  $50.00  per  acre. 

Cultivation  of  rice  in  the  Islands  is  carried  on  by 
Chinese  methods.  These  methods  have  been  brought  with 
the  Chinese  from  their  native  country,  and  have  been 
followed  here  ever  since  the  cultivation  of  rice  has  been 


12 

carried  on.  The  rice  lands  are  for  the  most  part  divided 
into  small  areas,  separated  by  dikes  for  irrigation  pur- 
poses, and  this  method  of  culture  renders  impracticable 
the  use  of  machinery  such  as  is  employed  in  the  Southern 
States.  The  power  for  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  is  fur- 
nished by  water  buffalo  and  horses.  The  rice  is  sown  in 
nursery  beds  and  then  transplanted.  From  three  to  seven 
seedlings  are  placed  in  clumps  about  one  foot  apart  each 
way.  The  fields  are  submerged  during  about  four-fifths 
of  the  growing  season.  While  this  method  of  cultivation 
seems  tedious  and  wasteful  of  labor,  it  has  been  found 
that  the  yields  are  almost  double  those  from  direct  sow- 
ing. The  Chinese  are  so  expert  at  transplanting  that  the 
method  is  unquestionably  profitable. 

There  are  about  16  important  rice  mills  in  the  Islands, 
many  of  them  being  of  quite  antiquated  pattern,  but  the 
work  accomplished  by  them  is  satisfactory.  The  annual 
crop  of  rice  in  Hawaii  is  about  50,000,000  pounds,  and 
in  addition  to  this  amount,  21,000,000  pounds  are  im- 
ported from  Japan  and  China.  The  exportation  of  rice 
from  Hawaii  amounts  to  about  3,500,000  pounds  per 
year. 

The  Hawaii  Experiment  Station  has  given  considerable 
attention  to  the  study  of  rice.  Comparative  tests  have 
been  made  with  more  than  100  varieties,  and  a  few  of 
these  have  proved  so  superior  in  yield  and  quality  that 
they  are  being  generally  adopted  by  the  rice  growers. 
An  efficient  program  of  fertilization  has  been  worked  out 
and  is  being  fallowed  by  the  rice  producers.  In  addition 
to  work  with  varieties  of  rice  and  fertilizers,  the  Hawaii 
Experiment  Station  has  demonstrated  that  Upland  rice 
and  salt  marsh  rice  may  be  cut  for  hay  and  furnish  an 
excellent  quality  of  forage,  which  compares  favorably 
with  imported  cereaj^  hays.  The  production  of  rice  hay 
is  now  being  tested^  in  a  number  of  widely  separated 
localities  and  at  different  altitudes  on  the  various  islands. 

When  it  is  remembered  than  21,000,000  pounds  of  rice 
are  annually  imported  from  Japan  and  China,  it  is  ap- 
parent that  there  is  room  for  the  extension  of  the  rice  in- 
dustry. There  are  a  few  locations  where  rice  could  be 
cultivated  with  profit,  according  to  the  methods  adopted 
in  the  Southern  States.  There  Is  a  conspicuous  lack  of 
threshing  machines,  and  these  could  most  assuredly  be 
used  to  advantage.  At  present  most  of  the  rice  Is  tramped 
out  by  water  buffalo  on  cement  floors.  The  present 
preference  shown   for  the  imported  Japanese  rice  could 


RUBBER  PLANTATION  AND  A  TREE, 
METHOD  OF  TAPPING. 


SHOWING 


13 

be  partly  overcome  by  the  formation  of  a  business-like 
association  among  rice  growers  and  the  maintenance  of 
a  suitable  campaign  of  education.  It  is  believed  that  in 
the  further  development  of  the  rice  industry  in  the 
Islands,  the  white  farmer  must  take  an  active  part. 

SISAL. 

The  only  fiber  plant  at  present  grown  on  a  commercial 
scale  in  Hawaii,  is  sisal.  This  plant  was  introduced  in 
1893,  and  its  cultivation  has  increased  until  we  now  have 
about  1400  acres  of  sisal  with  an  output  of  200  tons  of 
fiber  annually,  worth  about  $20,000.  The  largest  sisal 
plantation  of  the  Islands  will  soon  plant  an  additional 
2,000  acres.  This  company  has  its  business  well  organ- 
ized and  is  in  a  thriving  condition.  If  we  may  judge 
from  the  experience  of  sisal  growers  throughout  the 
world,  it  may  be  safely  stated  that  this  is  a  crop  which 
requires  extensive  plantings  in  order  to  yield  satisfac- 
tory profits.  In  a  thickly  settled  community  it  might  be 
possible  to  produce  small  quantities  of  sisal,  which  could 
be  milled  in  small  machines  and  distributed  by  co-opera- 
tive association.  Under  our  conditions,  however,  the 
sisal  industry  must  apparently  be  carried  on  in  extensive 
plantations. 

In  Hawaii,  only  the  true  sisal  is  grown  commercially, 
and  the  life  of  the  plant  with  us  extends  from  eight  to 
ten  years.  This  is  a  shorter  life  period  than  that  of 
henequen  in  Yucatan,  but  the  leaves  have  smooth  edges, 
rather  than  spiney  ones,  as  is  the  case  with  henequen; 
and  the  value  of  the  fiber  is  considerably  greater.  Sisal, 
therefore,  is  to  be  preferred  to  henequen  for  our  condi- 
tions. The  stock  for  planting  may  be  obtained  from  the 
growth  of  young  plants  in  nurseries,  or  from  the  direct 
use  of  pole  plants  or  suckers.  Our  growers  plant  from 
600  to  900  suckers  per  acre.  The  first  harvest  occurs 
three  years  after  planting,  and  the  average  yield  of  fiber 
per  acre  is  about  500  pounds. 

Sisal  is  commonly  mentioned  as  a  plant  which  will 
grow  without  care  or  cultivation.  While  this  is  true,  it 
has  been  found  that  the  growth  of  the  plants  may  be 
greatly  benefited  by  cultivation  along  the  rows.  This 
is  a  fortunate  circumstance,  since,  if  cultivation  were 
of  no  benefit,  the  sisal  plantation  might  be  abandoned 
until  shrubby  weeds  would  make  it  an  exceedingly  diffi- 
cult matter  to  harvest  the  sisal   leaves.     The  water  re- 


u 

quirements  of  sisal  are  very  simple.  It  grows  and  pro- 
duces a  satisfactory  crop  where  the  rainfall  is  as  low 
as  two  inches,  or  even  less,  per  year.  Cultivation  may 
be  confined  to  simply  keeping  the  brush  and  weeds  out 
©f  the  rows.  The  growth  of  the  sisal  is  much  better, 
however,  if  the  ground  is  plowed  previous  to  planting 
than  when  the  sisal  is  merely  set  in  holes  without  plow- 
ing. The  leaves  are  harvested  when  they  assume  a 
horizontal  position,  the  work  being  done  under  contract, 
at  a  given  price  per  hundred  leaves.  The  largest  sisal 
company  on  the  Islands  has  perfected  milling  machinery 
for  sisal,  which  removes  the  fiber  so  completely  that  the 
waste  from  the  mill  is  valueless,  except  perhaps  for 
feeding  purposes.  Before  the  most  recent  improvements 
were  made,  a  considerable  amount  of  fiber  was  lost  in 
the  waste  and  this  was  later  recovered  and  baled  as  a 
coarse  fiber  material.  Drying  is  accomplished  by  spread- 
ing the  fiber  out  on  clean  coral  sand,  and  since  the  mill 
is  located  in  a  region  where  rain  very  seldom  occurs,  a 
bright  and  clean  fiber  is  obtained.  The  fiber  is  baled  by 
machine  in  bales  weighing  400  to  500  pounds. 

The  prospects  for  the  development  of  the  sisal  indus- 
try in  these  Islands  are  excellent.  The  United  States 
imports  nearly  $15,000,000  worth  annually.  Of  this 
quantity,  Mexico  supplies  98%.  The  quality  of  Hawaiian 
grown  fiber  is  superior  to  that  of  any  other  part  of  the 
world,  except  German  East  Africa,  which  it  equals.  The 
San  Francisco  markets  alone  would  take  10,000  tons  of 
our  fiber,  and  at  present  we  produce  only  200  tons.  There 
are  numerous  arid  regions  in  the  Islands  where  at  present 
almost  nothing  else  could  be  grown  successfully  as  a 
commercial  venture.  Undoubtedly  some  of  these  areas 
will  be  planted  to  sisal  in  the  near  future.  It  obviously 
requires  a  company  with  some  capital  to  engage  in  the 
sisal  business,  since  it  is  necessary  to  wait  three  years 
for  the  first  crop.  The  expense  for  agricultural  and  mill- 
ing machinery,  however,  is  not  very  great.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  use  the  more  expensive  steam  plow  outfits, 
since  in  many  localities,  gasoline  power  can  be  used 
successfully. 

RUBBER. 

Rubber  trees,,  particularly  the  Ceara  rubber,  were 
planted  at  various  points  in  the  Islands  twenty  years  ago 
or   more.      The    first   regular    companies,    however,    were 


If 

started  in  1905.  At  present  there  are  five  large  rubber 
companies  and  many  small  plantations,  with  a  total  in- 
vestment of  $290,000.  On  the  island  of  Maui  alone, 
there  are  1,300  acres  planted  to  rubber.  This  area  con- 
tains about  400,000  Ceara  rubber  trees,  23,000  Hevea, 
and  a  thousand  Castilloa.  At  first  the  commercial  plant- 
ings were  almost  entirely  of  Ceara;  at  present,  however, 
more  Hevea  than  Ceara  rubber  is.  being  planted.  A  great 
difference  is  observed  in  the  width  of  planting  adopted 
by  the  different  companies.  In  some  cases,  the  trees 
stand  only  six  or  eight  feet  apart  each  way,  while  on 
other  plantations,  they  may  be  15  to  20  feet  apart.  There 
is  a  growing  tendency  to  adopt  the  wider  planting  space. 
Formerly  the  opinion  prevailed  that  rubber  could  be 
treated  as  a  forest  tree,  and  that  cultivation  might, 
therefore,  be  neglected.  This  belief,  however,  has  proved 
to  be  quite  unfounded.  One  of  the  most  conspicuous 
things  to  be  observed  on  our  rubber  plantations  is  the 
greatly  increased  growth  brought  about  by  proper  culti- 
vation. It  has  been  shown  beyond  question  that  in  order 
to  get  a  satisfactory  rate  of  growth,  of  either  Ceara  or 
Hevea  rubber,  it  is  necessary  to  plow  the  ground  and 
give  careful  attention  to  cultivation.  The  recognition 
of  this  fact  has  brought  up  the  problem  of  what  to  do 
with  the  vacant  ^nd  between  rubber  trees  during  the 
first  year  or  two  of  their  growth.  The  Hawaii  Experi- 
ment Station  is  now  carrying  on  experiments  to  deter- 
mine the  best  use  which  can  be  made  of  the  soil  in  rubber 
plantations  until  the  trees  get  large  enough  to  occupy 
the  ground  as  an  exclusive  crop.  For  this  purpose,  we 
are  testing  rice  hay,   soy  beans  and  other   legumes. 

While  some  income  may  be  expected  /rom  crops  plant- 
ed between  young  rubber  trees,  the  ultimate  source  of 
revenue  is,  of  course,  looked  for  in  the  rubber  trees  them- 
selves. It  is  impossible  at  present  to  get  large  areas  of 
mature  rubber  trees  for  tapping,  and  the  preliminary 
experiments,  therefore,  had  to  be  made  on  trees  two  or 
three  years  old.  In  these  experiments,  400  trees  were 
tapped  for  the  purpose  of  determining  how  labor  could 
best  be  manipulated  and  utilized  most  economically  jn 
tapping  rubber  trees;  how  expensive  the  collection  of 
rubber  would  be  under  our  conditions;  and  what  yield 
of  latex  could  be  expected  from  Ceara  rubber  trees  in 
our  Islands.  It  was  found  in  these  experiments,  that 
one  laborer  can  tap  50  trees  per  hour,  and  can  collect 
the   latex    from    100   trees   in   the   same   length   of   time. 


16  ' 

The  continuous  tapping  of  trees  six  inches  in  diameter, 
indicates  that  a  yield  of  one-third  ounce  of  dry  rubber 
per  day  may  be  expected.  The  experiment  just  men- 
tioned, indicates  that  three  men,  working  on  mature 
trees,  can  obtain  about  one  pound  of  dry  rubber  per  hour. 
From  these  figures,  it  seems  evident  that  the  rubber  in- 
dustry rests  upon  a  sure  foundation  and  that  a  reason- 
able profit  may  be  obtained  from  it.  In  order  to  utilize 
the  land  to  the  best  advantage,  however,  it  will  obviously 
be  necessary  to  practice  intercropping  with  suitable 
crops  during  the  first  year  or  two  of  the  plantations,  and 
to  keep  the  soil  in  good  tilth,  in  order  to  bring  about  a 
sufficiently  rapid  growth  of  the  trees.  Experiments  are 
also  in  progress  to  determine  whether  the  growth  of  rub- 
ber trees  may  be  benefited  by  fertilization,  and  whether 
the  temporary  stimulation  of  the  latex  flow  may  be  ac- 
complished by  fertilizers.  It  appears,  from  experiments 
already  carried  out  on  Maui  and  Oahu,  that  the  tapping 
period  may  extend  from  6  A.  M.  to  10  A.  M.  This  period 
is  sufliciently  long  to  allow  the  economic  use  of  the 
laborers'  time. 

The  prospects  for  rubber  in  the  Islands  seem  bright. 
The  rubber  planter  is  constantly  reminded  that  this  indus- 
try is  being  enormously  extended  in  other  countries, 
particularly  Ceylon  and  Mexico;  but  t\ie  rapidly  increas- 
ing demand  for  rubber,  in  both  old  and  new  lines  of 
manufacture,  would  seem  to  furnish  an  outlet  for  all  of 
the  rubber  which  can  be  produced  for  many  years  to 
come.  At  any  rate,  the  best  informed  rubber  producers 
and  manufacturers  can  see  no  immediate  prospect  of  an 
over-production.  In  these  Islands  we  have  considerable 
areas  in  which  the  rainfall  and  other  conditions  are  suit- 
able for  rubber  production.  These  areas  are  not  desired 
for  sugar  or  other  crops,  and,  therefore,  offer  opportunity 
for  a  further  extension  of  the  rubber  industry. 

TOBACCO. 

There  has  never  been  any  reasonable  doubt  about  the 
possibility  of  obtaining  a  good  yield  of  tobacco  from 
Hawaiian  soils.  The  natives  have  long  grown  a  coarse, 
strong  grade  of  tobacco,  chiefly  for  smoking  purposes. 
Experiments  in  the  culture  of  improved  varieties  of  to- 
bacco, demanded  by  modern  markets,  were  begun  about 
four  years  ago,  and  have  led  to  the  formation  of  three 
companies,  one  of  which  is  already  growing  tobacco,  and 


17 

to  the  cultivation  of  this  crop,  on  a  small  scale,  by  two 
individual  farmers.  The  cujed  crop  of  the  present  year 
amounts  to  about  7,500  pounds.  One  company,  which  is 
growing  Cuban  tobacco,  intends  to  plant  60  acres  during 
the  coming  season.  Another  company  will  have  forty 
or  fifty  acres  of  Sumatra  tobacco.  The  yield  of  all  varie- 
ties of  tobacco,  thus  far  grown  in  the  Territory  is  high, 
ranging  from  900  to  1,500  pounds  per  acre.  The  burn- 
ing quality  is  all  that  could  be  desired.  In  reports  re- 
ceived from  large  tobacco  dealers,  in  New  York  City  and 
elsewhere,  it  appears  that  our  tobacco  is  considered  satis- 
factory in  burn,  texture  and  flavor  when  properly  cured. 
The  best  results  have  not  always  been  obtained  in  curing 
tobacco,  but  this  fact  appears  to  be  due  to  a  lack  of  ex- 
perience with  tobacco  in  this  climate.  The  company, 
which  is  to  grow  Sumatra  tobacco  here,  has  had  twelve 
years'  experience  with  this  tobacco  in  Sumatra,  and  will 
employ  an  expert  in  tobacco  curing  and  fermentation. 
Some  of  the  New  York  dealers,  who  have  examined  our 
tobacco,  have  stated  that  the  Havana  wrapper  grown 
here  would  be  worth  from  75c.  to  $1.00  a  pound 
if  properly  cured;  and  that  the  Sumatra,  in  the 
condition  in  which  it  was  submitted  to  them  was  worth 
from  50c.  to  70c.  per  pound.  A  tobacco  dealer,  who  re- 
cently visited  the  Islands,  stated  that  Cuban  filler  pro- 
duced here  would  readily  bring  a  price  of  35c.  per  pound. 
The  duty  already  imposed  upon  tobacco  is  sufficient  to 
give  all  the  encouragement,  which  can  be  secured  from 
that  source,  to  the  tobacco  grower.  The  soils,  as  already 
stated,  produce  a  tobacco  of  excellent  burning  quality 
and  of  a  mild,  agreeable  aroma.  The  most  essential  fac- 
tor, therefore,  in  the  success  of  our  tobacco  industry  is 
experience  in  curing  under  our  conditions;  and  to  this 
end  it  would  seem  wise  for  each  company  to  obtain  an 
expert  in  the  process  of  curing.  It  has  been  estimated 
that  there  are  least  30,000  acres  of  land  suitable  for 
tobacco  culture,  on  which  tobacco  has  never  been  grown. 
Such  virgin  soils  give  promise  of  excellent  returns  under 
proper  management.  This  is  a  crop  which  can  be  grown 
on  a  large  scale,  by  the  organization  of  companies,  or  in 
small  areas,  by  individual  farmers.  In  the  latter  case, 
the  larger  companies  will  buy  the  tobacco  and  ferment  it. 
This  arrangement  will  enable  the  small  farmer  to  engage 
in  tobacco  growing  with  a  very  small  outlay  of  money 
and  with  quick  returns,  since  it  is  a  rapidly  maturing 
crop. 


18 


COFFEE. 


So  far  as  can  be  judged  from  available  data,  coffee  was 
first  grown  in  Hawaii  in  1817.  The  culture  of  this  croi> 
was  taken  up  by  white  farmers  and  native  Hawaiians 
and  yielded  such  good  returns  that  the  industry  developed 
rapidly.  A  setback  was  suffered  a  few  years  ago  as  a  re- 
sult of  the  fall  in  the  prices  of  coffee;  but  by  careful  cul- 
tivation and  the  utilization  of  the  soil  between  the  rows 
during  the  first  year  or  two  in  the  growth  of  the  plan- 
tation, it  is  still  possible  to  make  fair  profits  from  coffee. 
There  are  about  4500  acres  planted  to  coffee,  the  larger 
part  of  this  area  being  in  the  Kona  and  Hamakua  dis- 
tricts of  Hawaii.  Coffee  is  grown,  however,  on  all  of  the 
larger  islands.  The  amount  of  coffee  exported  last  year 
was  25,000  bags,  with  a  value  of  $175,000.  In  the  ex- 
perience of  our  coffee  planters,  the  yield  per  acre  is  about 
650  pounds.  The  cost  of  production  is  estimated  at  from 
seven  to  ten  cents  per  pound,  and  the  wholesale  price 
now  received  is  twelve  cents  per  pound.  This  gives  only 
a  narrow  margin  of  profit,  which  it  has  been  proposed  to 
increase  by  a  tariff  on  coffee;  but  in  the  event  of  failure 
to  secure  a  tariff,  the  same  result  might  readily  be  ob- 
tained by  the  formation  of  a  co-operative  association  with 
agents  on  the  mainland  to  distribute  the  coffee  directly 
to  consumers.  In  this  way,  the  retailers'  price,  of  twenty 
to  thirty  cents  a  pound,  could  be  obtained  by  the  pro- 
ducers without  raising  the  price  of  coffee  to  the  con- 
sumer. Coffee  g/ows  best  in  the  Islands  at  altitudes  of 
1,000  to  2,500  feet.  The  first  commercial  crop  is  ob- 
tained four  years  from  planting,  but  during  the  first 
two  or  three  years,  it  is  an  easy  matter  to  realize  con- 
siderable returns  from  soy  beans  and  other  crops  planted 
between  the  rows  of  coffee.  With  the  present  price  of 
Sy2  cents  a  pound  for  soy  beans,  it  has  been  found  that 
from  $75.00  to  $100.00  an  acre  can  be  obtained  from 
this  crop  in  young  coffee  plantations.  The  adoption  of 
this  method  of  intercropping  has  the  further  advantage 
that  the  soil  is  kept  in  good  tilth  for  the  growth  of  the 
coffee  trees. 

The  present  prospects  of  the  coffee  industry  are  bright- 
er than  they  appear  to  some  of  the  coffee  growers.  It  is 
readily:  understood  that  the  narrow  margin  of  profit  at 
the  present  cost  of  production  and  the  present  market' 
prices,  is  not  very  attractive;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  it 
should  be  remembered  that  much  of  our  coffee  which  is 


19 

sold  for  twelve  cents  per  pound,  finally  comes  to  the 
<;onsumer  at  prices  ranging  from  twenty  to  twenty-five 
cents  per  pound.  The  most  logical  business  method  of 
Increasing  the  profit  to  the  producer,  and  thus  encourag- 
ing the  coffee  industry,  is  to  form  an  association,  as  al- 
ready mentioned,  and  thus  secure  the  retail  price  of 
coffee,  rather  than  the  wholesale  price.  Greater  diflacul- 
ties  than  would  be  experienced  in  the  formation  of  such 
.an  association,  have  already  been  overcome  by  groups  of 
producers  on  the  mainland. 

The  quality  of  our  coffee  is  excellent,  the  flavor  and 
-aroma  being  mild.  It  requires  slightly  different  treat- 
ment in  roasting  from  that  recommended  for  the  coffee 
'Of  Porto  Rico,  Central  America  and  South  America. 
If  a  business-like  coffee  association  were  formed,  the 
market  for  our  coffee  could  be  carefully  studied  and 
'developed  in  a  progressive  manner.  At  present,  Hawaiian 
•coffee  is  not  well  enough  known  on  the  mainland,  and 
this  is  due  to  a  lack  of  aggressiveness  on  the  part  of  the 
producers.  With  the  market  difficulties  solved,  so  as  to 
render  the  profits  from  coffee  still  more  attractive,  it 
would  soon  be  realized  that  there  are  large  areas  of  land 
:now  lying  idle,  which  are  suitable  for  coffee  culture. 


COTTON. 

A  species  of  smooth  seeded  cotton  was  observed  by 
•Captain  Cook  on  his  first  voyage  to  the  Hawaiian  Islands. 
In  addition  to  this  species,  which  is  closely  related  to 
Sea  Island,  two  native  species  of  cotton,  with  short, 
brown  lint,  were,  at  one  time,  quite  abundant;  but  have 
gradually  been  exterminated  by  cattle,  until  at  present, 
there  are  only  a  few  plants  in  existence.  One  of  these 
species  is  being  propagated  at  the  Hawaii  Experiment 
Station  and  will  be  hybridized  with  Sea  Island  cotton. 
More  or  less  attention  has  been  given  to  cotton  at  various 
intervals  in  the  past  by  native  Hawaiians  and  others.  In 
1837  there  was  a  cotton  mill  on  Hawaii,  which  produced 
a  good  quality  of  cotton  cloth.  Following  the  Civil  War, 
an  interest  was  awakened  in  cotton  on  account  of  its 
high  price,  and  Sea  Island  cotton  of  fine  quality  was 
:raised  for  five  or  six  years  on  nearly  all  of  the  Islands. 
Descendants  of  these  plants  are  now  seem  in  various 
localities,  having  perpetuated  themselves  as  wild  plants. 
:Lint  of  good  quality  has  been  taken  from  trees  15  to  20 


20 

years  old.     All  cotton  varieties  in  these  Islands  naturally 
grow  as  perennials. 

For  three  or  four  years  the  Hawaii  Experiment  Sta- 
tion has  been  investigating  the  possibilities  of  cotton 
culture.  The  varieties  planted  include  several  strains  of 
Sea  Island,  three  strains  of  Caravonica,  Chinese  Upland 
and  Egyptian  cotton.  The  Caravonica  cotton,  imported 
from  Queensland,  has  proved  to  be  a  heavy  yielding 
variety  with  a  high  percentage  of  lint  of  great  strength. 
The  only  defects  of  this  variety  thus  far  observed,  are 
the  brittleness  of  stem  and  variability  in  type,  due  to  the 
fact  that  it  is  a  hybrid  between  Sea  Island  and  Kidney 
cottons.  The  prices  quoted  by  cotton  experts,  from  sam- 
ples of  our  Caravonica  cotton,  range  from  sixteen  to 
twenty-four  cents  per  pound.  Selections  have  been  made 
from  two  strains  of  Sea  Island  seed,  with  the  result  that 
lint  of  the  very  highest  quality  has  been  obtained.  Not 
only  is  the  yield  considerably  larger  than  in  the  Sea 
Island  region  of  the  mainland,  but  the  length  of  staple 
is  two  inches,  and  the  quality,  as  judged  by  cotton  ex- 
perts, superior  to  any  that  has  been  produced  before. 
The  cotton  dealers  have  assured  us  that  our  Sea  Island 
is  in  a  class  by  itself.  The  Bremen  Cotton  Exchange  pro- 
nounced the  lint  the  best  they  had  ever  seen  and  worth 
thirty-six  cents  a  pound. 

These  results  are  highly  encouraging.  About  thirty 
companies  and  individuals  are  planting  cotton  this  year 
in  small  areas,  ranging  from  two  to  25  acres.  Larger 
plantations  could  not  be  made  at  present  on  account  of 
the  impossibility  of  securing  good  Sea  Island  or  Caravo- 
nica seed  in  commercial  quantities.  From  seed  selections^ 
which  will  be  made  from  the  present  plantings,  a  suffi- 
cient supply  will  be  had  for  much  larger  plantings,  which 
are  contemplated  by  commercial  companies  for  next  year. 
With  the  formation  of  a  suitable  cotton  association  here, 
it  will  be  possible  for  small  growers  to  find  an  immediate 
outlet  for  their  seed  cotton,  at  a  profitable  price,  and 
with  the  present  great  increase  in  the  demand  for  high 
grade  cotton,  there  is  no  prospect  of  overstocking  the- 
market.  In  this  respect,  Hawaii  will  not  be  considered 
a  competitor  of  the  Sea  Island  district  of  the  mainland. 
Our  fiber  is  superior  to  the  commercial  product  grown 
there  and  will  be  readily  taken  in  Bremen,  Liverpool^ 
Paris  and  New  York. 


21 

CASSAVA. 

Cassava  is  gradually  taking  the  place  of  arrow  root  as 
a  food  plant  for  the  native  Hawaiians;  and  it  is  also 
being  cultivated  in  increasing  areas  for  the  production 
of  starch  and  as  feed  for  animals.  In  our  Territory,  it 
grows  as  a  perennial,  if  allowed  to  run  wild,  but  is  best 
treated  commercially  as  an  annual  crop.  It  thrives  well 
from  sea  level  up  to  an  altitude  of  3,000  feet,  except  in 
very  wet  climates.  The  cuttings  are  planted  in  Novem- 
ber to  February,  in  furrows  two  to  four  feet  apart.  The 
soil  is  kept  well  cultivated  and  the  roots  are  ready  for 
harvest  in  October  or  November.  The  yield  of  roots 
ranges  from  five  to  ten  tons  per  acre.  From  these  roots 
the  yield  of  starch  is  somewhat  greater  than  that  from 
corn.  From  five  tons  of  roots,  about  2,500  pounds  of 
starch  can  be  obtained.  For  sometime  there  was  difficulty 
In  finding  a  profitable  market  for  cassava  starch  and 
little  encouragement  was  met  with  in  this  industry.  At 
present,  however,  the  demand  is  active  and  the  companies 
which  are  producing  cassava  are  much  encouraged.  There 
is  a  good  opening  for  the  growth  of  cassava  in  this  Terri- 
tory for  the  production  of  tapioca,  an  industry  which  has, 
thus  far,  not  been  taken  up  in  Hawaii.  In  addition  to 
its  uses  for  starch  and  tapioca,  cassava  is  attracting  more 
and  more  attention  as  a  stock  feed.  The  ranches  are 
planting  quite  large  areas  of  cassava  as  feed  for  hogs  and 
cattle. 

MATTING  PLANTS. 

Experiments  with  matting  plants  have  now  been  car- 
ried on  for  two  years,  the  species  concerned  being  Chinese 
matting  sedge  and  Japanese  matting  rush.  It  has  been 
found  that  these  plants  thrive  well  in  brackish  or  salt 
marshes  along  the  sea  coast,  and  that  the  yield  is  quite 
satisfactory.  Chinese  matting  sedge,  grown  by  the  Ha- 
waii Experiment  Station,  and  sent  to  a  manufacturing 
company  on  the  mainland,  has  been  declared  to  be  of  good 
quality;  and  valued  at  from  $40.00  to  $80.00  per  ton. 
When  well  established,  an  acre  will  produce  from  three 
to  four  tons  annually.  The  Japanese  matting  rush  does 
not  require  splitting  for  the  use  of  the  manufacturer, 
but  the  Chinese  matting  sedge  must  be  split  before  being 
used.  The  chief  difficulty  at  present,  in  the  commercial 
extension  of  this  industry,  is  the  lack  of  a  suitable  ma- 


22 

chine  for  splitting  the  sedge.  Hand  splitting  is  too  ex- 
pensive.  There  is  a  good  prospect  that  such  a  machine- 
will  soon  be  perfected.  When  this  is  accomplished,  there 
will  be  a  profitable  use  for  large  areas  of  brackish  and. 
salt  marshes  at  present  unutilized. 

CASTOR  BEAN. 

This  plant  has  been  known  in  Hawaii  since  early  days. 
It  grows  wild  as  a  perennial,  sometimes  developing  inta 
trees  with  trunks  two  feet  in  diameter.  The  plant  thrives- 
from  sea  level  up  to  4,000  feet  or  higher.  In  plantations, 
it  is  spaced  about  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  apart.  Each 
plant  may  be  expected  to  yield  from  twenty  to  twenty-^ 
five  pounds  of  beans  per  year.  The  products  from  castor 
beans  are  castor  oil  and  castor  pomace.  Castor  oil  finds  a 
ready  market  and  castor  pomace  is  a  valuable  fertilizer,, 
which  could  be  used  in  many  of  our  soils.  The  encourage- 
ment for  the  production  of  the  castor  bean  has  not  been 
very  great  on  account  of  the  low  prices  at  which  it  can 
be  produced  with  cheap  labor  in  India.  Nevertheless, 
on  a  small  scale,  it  may  be  depended  upon  to  return 
reasonable  profits.  The  simplest  method  by  which  this^ 
industry  could  be  encouraged  is  to  established  a  central 
oil  mill,  which  would  purchase  the  beans  from  small  pro- 
ducers at  a  reasonable  price. 

MANILA  HEMP. 

There  is  a  widely  prevailing  opinion. that  Manila  liemiv^ 
of  good  quality  can  be  grown  only  in  the  Philippines. 
Nevertheless,  wherever  Manila  hemp  has  been  plantcid  in 
our  Islands  it  has  grown  even  more  vigorously  than  the- 
species  of  edible  bananas.  Manila  hemp  being  a  species  of 
banana,  may  be  rightly  expected  to  require  cultural  condi- 
tions similar  to  those  of  the  banana.  Such  conditions  we- 
already  have  fulfilled  in  many  localites  in  respect  to  rain- 
fall, soil  fertility  and  uniformity  of  temperature.  It  is  con- 
fidently believed  that  Manila  hemp  could  be  developed  in- 
to a  profitable  industry  in  Hawaii.  A  number  of  gr.oups  of" 
this  plant  have  been  observed  on  the  windward  side  of 
the  Islands  in  a  very  thriving  condition,  and  even  on  the 
grounds  of  the  Hawaii  Experiment  Station,  where  the 
rainfall  does  not  exceed  thirty  inches  per  year,  Manila 
hemp  grows  more  vigorously  than  edible  bananas.  It  is- 
apparent   that   the   development  of  Manila   hemp   would 


23 

in  no  way  conflict  or  compete  with  the  sisal  industry. 
Sisal  is  grown  on  soil  too  rough  and  too  dry  for  any  other 
commercial  crop,  while  Manila  hemp  requires  a  heavy 
rainfall,  of  fairly  uniform  distribution. 

CORN. 

Corn  has  long  been  cultivated,  as  a  stock  feed  and  for 
table  purposes,  in  Hawaii.  On  the  island  of  Maui  there 
are  about  5,000  acres  in  one  region  devoted  to  the  pro- 
duction of  corn.  On  Hawaii,  at  least  one  ranch  is  pro- 
ducing corn  on  a  large  scale,  and  will  soon  have  1,000 
acres  in  this  crop.  Corn  thrives  from  sea  level  up  to  an 
altitude  of  5,000  feet.  During  the  last  season,  on  the 
Parker  Ranch,  at  an  elevation  of  4,700  feet,  a  yield  of 
forty  bushels  of  corn  per  acre  was  obtained  without  irri- 
gation, under  a  rainfall  of  only  two  inches.  The  quality 
of  dent  corn  produced  here  is  all  that  could  be  desired. 
Little  attention  has  been  given  to  the  selection  of  seed 
corn,  and  for  this  reason,  the  ears  would  not  take  prizes 
in  a  corn  exposition,  but  the  percentage  of  kernel  to  cob 
is  high,  and  the  yield  is  quite  satisfactory.  Nearly  all 
of  the  ranches  are  planning  to  raise  corn  in  large  quanti- 
ties for  the  purpose  of  putting  a  finer  finish  on  their  beef, 
mutton  and  pork,  and  in  the  production  of  poultry. 

PINEAPPLES. 

For  many  years  before  commercial  pineapple  growing 
was  established  in  Hawaii,  a  small  native  variety  was 
known  of  excellent  flavor.  This  variety  is  probably  not 
indigenous,  but  is  supposed  by  some  to  be  a  geographical 
modification  of  the  "Red  Spanish"  pineapple.  The  variety 
almost  exclusively  grown  at  present  is  the  "Smooth 
Cayenne."  This  variety  was  first  introduced  in  1884,  and 
the  pineapple  industry  began  about  1890.  There  are  now 
4,500  acres  in  pineapples,  chiefly  on  Oahu  and  Maui,  but 
also  on  all  of  the  other  islands;  and  the  plantations  are 
-constantly  increasing.  The  output  for  1908  was  350,000 
cases  of  canned  fruit  and  1,000  tons  of  fresh  fruit. 

The  altitudes  most  suitable  for  growing  pineapples  lie 
between  500  and  1,200  feet.  It  is  desirable  to  have  a 
rainfall  of  35  to  60  inches  or  more.  Pineapples  will 
stand  ordinary  winds  very  successfully.  Planting  dis- 
tances on  different  plantations  vary  considerably,  and  for 
this  reason,  the  number  of  plants  per  acre  ranges  from 


24 

2,500  to  12,000.  Where  it  is  desired  to  grow  large  fruit 
for  table  use,  the  pineapples  are  commonly  planted  in 
rows  six  feet  apart  and  20  to  24  inches  in  the  row.  On 
some  plantations  the  rows  are  four  feet  apart  and  the 
pineapples  two  feet  in  the  row.  Where  smaller  fruit  for 
canning  purposes  is  desired,  the  planting  distance  may 
be  18  inches  to  two  feet  each  way,  in  beds  of  four  rows 
with  alleys  between  each  bed.  Another  method  of  plant- 
ing, which  has  been  followed  to  some  extent,  consists  in 
arranging  the  plants  in  groups  of  two  rows,  two  feet 
apart,  the  groups  being  eight  feet  apart.  Naturally,  the 
size  of  the  pineapples  depends  somewhat  upon  the  spacing 
of  the  plants.  Some  of  the  canneries  desire  a  fruit  weigh- 
ing from  three  to^four  pounds,  and  bring  about  this  re- 
sult by  close  planting.  Where  wide  planting  is  followed, 
the  fruit  commonly  attains  a  weight  of  six  to  ten  pounds, 
and  sometimes,  much  more. 

The  first  crop  of  pineapples  is  obtained  within  18 
months  to  two  years,  and  averages  about  ten  tons.  A 
ratoon  crop  follows  twelve  months  later,  in  which  the 
yield  ranges  from  15  to  20  ^*X)ns  per  acre.  The  cost  of 
production  of  pineapples  is  about  $15.00  per  ton,  and  the 
cannery  price  is  $20.00  er  ton  or  more.  The  mainland 
price  for  fresh  fruit  ra^nges  from  $80.00  to  $150.00  per 
ton.  There  are  now"  nine  canneries  in  the  Islands  and 
about  $1,000,000  invested  in  the  pineapple  industry.  The 
acreage  of  pineapples  is  constantly  increasing,  and  for 
the  past  two  or  three  years  the  output  has  been  nearly 
doubled  each  year.  The  Hawaii  Experiment  Station  is 
carrying  on  a  series  of  fertilizer  experiments  with  pine- 
apples and  is  also  investigating  the  cause  of  the  yellow- 
ing of  pineapple  plants,  and  the  best  methods  of  rotation 
which  may  permanently  maintain  the  adaptability  of  the 
soil  for  pineapple  culture. 

The  prospects  for  pineapple  culture  seem  good,  despite 
the  complaints  which  are  occasionally  heard.  Some  fear 
has  been  expressed  that  the  market  for  canned  pineapples 
is  not  being  developed  as  rapidly  as  the  output  of  canned 
pineapples.  This  market,  however,  when  properly  studied 
seems  to  be  almost  unlimited.  The  whole  west  coast  of 
the  mainland  should  be  supplied  with  fresh  pineapples 
from  Hawaii.  The  flavor  of  our  fruit  is  far  better  than 
that  of  the  varieties  which  they  now  receive  on  the  Pa- 
cific Coast.  There  is  only  one  factor  wanting  for  the 
successful  occupation  of  that  immense  field  for  our  fresh 
pineapples;  and  that  factor  is  a  business-like  co-operative 


association  for  the  purpose  of  making  known  the  merits 
of  our  fruit  by  actually  distributing  this  fruit  directly  to 
the  trade  on  the  west  coast.  It  is  scarcely  to  be  doubted 
that  if  pineapple  growers,  familiar  with  the  systems  of 
co-operative  marketing  in  successful  use  on  the  mainland, 
would  come  to  Hawaii  and  organize  a  business-like  co- 
operative association  along  the  same  line,  the  markets 
for  fresh  pineapples  could  be  developed  sufficiently  to 
consume  all  of  the  pineapples  which  could  possibly  be 
produced  here  for  years  to  come. 

BANANAS. 

At  least  twenty  varieties  of  bananas  now  growing  in 
Hawaii,  are  considered  indigenous.  The  actual  origin 
of  some  of  these  varieties  may  never  be  thoroughly  deter- 
mined. Altogether,  there  are  about  fifty  varieties  of  ba- 
nanas in  the  Islands,  the  chief  shipping  varieties  being 
Bluefield  and  Chinese.  Th^  Chinese  banana  is  grown 
perhaps  more  extensively  tl:  n  the  Bluefield,  but  does 
not  endure  shipping  quite  so  well.  The  adaptability  of 
our  soil  and  climate  to  banana  cuJqure  is  evident  from  the 
jungles  of  bananas  which  grow  wild  without  care  or 
attention  on  nearly  all  of  the  islando. 

The  banana  plant  fruits  at  the  age  of  fifteen  to  twenty- 
four  months,  and  is  then  cut  down,  making  room  for  the 
growth  of  suckers  which  spring  from  the  ground  near 
the  base  of  the  stem.  Banana  plantations  may  be  allowed 
to  reproduce  themselves,  by  suckering,  for  two  or  three 
years;  but  the  plantation  gradually  deteriorates  unless 
it  is  replowed  and  planted  anew.  A  rotation  with  other 
crops,  therefore,  ultimately  becomes  necessary,  as  is  also 
the  case  with  most  all  of  our  other  money  crops,  A  ba- 
nana plantation  produces  800  to  900  bunches  per  acre. 

The  prospects  for  banana  culture  in  Hawaii  are  ex- 
cellent, and  the  possibility  of  extending  the  industry, 
almost  unlimited.  The  whole  Pacific  Coast  of  the  main- 
land should  be  supplied  with  our  bananas,  and  Hawaii  is 
properly  located  to  furnish  them  economically.  San 
Francisco  alone,  would  consume  75,000  bunches  of  ba- 
nanas per  year.  The  cooking  banana  trade  has  not  been 
touched,  in  fact  on  the  mainland,  cooking  bananas  are 
little  known;  and  most  housewives  have  hardly  heard  of 
them.  With  our  large  variety  of  excellent  cooking 
bananas,  well  adapted  for  shipping,  it  is  high  time  that 
the  possibilities  of  trade  in  this  direction  be  realized  by 


26 

making  known  the  excellent  flavor  of  our  cooking  ba- 
nanas. If  the  banana  industry  were  systematically  de- 
veloped in  our  Islands,  the  tonnage  of  this  fruit  alone 
would  be  enormous;  and  would  surely  appeal  to  trans- 
portation companies  as  a  matter  worthy  of  their  con- 
sideration. Practically  the  only  drawback  thus  far  ex- 
perienced in  the  banana  business  is  the  lack  of  suitable 
transportation.  Sooner  or  later  it  will  become  necessary 
to  have  special  fruit  steamers  for  transporting  Hawaiian 
fruit  to  the  mainland.  The  development  of  such  a  traffic 
would  be  of  immense  importance,  not  only  in  the  rapid 
and  satisfactory  transportation  of  fruits,  but  also  in  fur- 
nishing the  means  of  bringing  more  visitors  and  settlers 
to  the  Islands.  The  influence  of  the  fruit  steamers,  ply- 
ing between  Nek  York  and  the  West  Indies  and  Central 
America  has  already  become  very  conspicuous  for  this 
reason.  The  United  States  now  imports  bananas  to  the 
value  of  $8,000,000  annually;  and  the  banana  trade  of 
the  whole  west  coast  logically  belongs  to  Hawaii. 

MANGO. 

We  have  forty  or  m6re  varieties  of  seedling  mangoes 
of  all  qualities  and  sizes,  and  also  many  introduced  varie- 
ties from  India,  the  Philippines  and  elsewhere.  Some 
of  the  best  of  these  introduced  varieties  are  "Alphonse," 
"Mulgoba,"  "Totapari,"  etc.  The  planting  distance  of 
mangoes  is  about  twenty  to  thirty  feet  each  way,  but  as 
a  rule,  mangoes  simply  constitute  a  portion  of  the  orna- 
mental and  economic  trees  is  every  dooryard.  With  us, 
the  regular  mango  season  extends  from  June  to  August. 
The  trees  begin  to  bear  within  six  or  seven  years  from 
seed,  and  thrive  best  at  low  altitudes.  Mango  trees  bear 
very  heavily,  and  the  crop  from  a  regular  plantation  is, 
therefore,  large.  The  fruit  will  stand  shipment  in 
cold  storage  for  a  period  of  a  month  or  longer,  and  have 
been  successfully  shipped  from  Hawaii  to  New  York  and 
to  the  Philippines. 

There  is  a  growing  demand  for  mangoes  on  the  main- 
land at  good  prices.  Florida  has  already  seen  the  profits 
to  be  derived  from  this  industry  and  is  pushing  it  to  the 
fullest  extent.  As  with  bananas,  and  pineapples,  so  with 
mangoes,  the  Pacific  Coast  trade  should  logically  be  sup- 
plied by  Hawaii.  Methods  have  already  been  perfected 
for  budding  and  inarching  seedling  mangoes  with  im- 
proved varieties,  which  are  certain  to  make  a  large  place 
for  themselves  in  any  market. 


AVOCADO. 

This  tree  grows  vigorously  on  all  the  Islands  from  sea 
level  to  an  altitude  of  1,500  feet  or  more.  There  is  a 
great  variety  of  shapes  and  colors  among  the  avocados  on 
the  local  markets,  but  no  well  established  varieties.  It 
does  not  come  true  from  the  seed,  and  in  order  to  secure 
the  desired  quality  of  fruit,  it  is,  therefore,  necessary  to 
bud  or  graft  the  seedling  trees.  Not  only  do  the  shape 
and  color  vary,  but  the  flavor  is  also  noticeably  different 
in  different  forms,  as  well  as  the  texture.  One  of  the  im- 
portant lines  of  horticultural  work  to  be  accomplished 
is  the  establishment  of  orchards  of  avocado  all  budded 
in  a  desirable  variety.  The  trees  bear  within  four  to 
six  years  from  the  seed,  and  at  the  rate  of  150  to  500 
fruits  per  tree.  The  local  price  of  avocado  varies  from 
three  to  twenty-five  cents  apiece,  according  to  quality, 
the  green  fruits,  as  a  rule,  being  superior  to  purple  avo- 
cado. Avocado  trees  will  develop  fairly  well  and  bear 
a  reasonable  quantity  of  fruit  without  any  cultivation; 
but,  like  other  fruit  trees,  are  beneficially  affected  by 
cultivation,  yielding  more  fruit  of  an  improved  quality. 
The  fruit  is  easily  shipped  as  far  as  the  Coast.  The  Pa- 
cific Coast  market  makes  greater  and  greater  demands  for 
avocado,  and  the  prices  are  very  remunerative.  There 
is,  perhaps,  no  fruit  grown  commercially  in  our  Islands 
for  which  there  is  a  greater  possible  market  development 
with  good  profit,  than  is  the  case  with  the  avocado.  Prac- 
tically unlimited  quantities  of  uniform  fruit  of  good 
quality  can  be  marketed  on  the  mainland. 

CITRUS  FRUIT. 

Oranges  and  other  citrus  fruits  have  been  known  in 
Hawaii  at  least  since  the  first  visits  of  white  men  to  these 
Islands.  We  now  have  all  kinds  of  citrus  fruits,  includ- 
ing orange,  lemon,  citron,  lime,  pomelo,  shaddock,  kum- 
quat  and  mandarin.  Orange  trees  grow  wild,  and  bear 
heavily  of  seedling  oranges  without  cultivation  or  care 
of  any  sort.  In  a  few  locations,  considerable  profit  has 
been  derived  from  wild  seedling  oranges  allowed  to 
grow  in  pasture  lands  and  areas  covered  with  low  brush. 
The  quality  and  flavor  of  seedling  Hawaiian  oranges 
vary  considerably,  but  are  often  quite  excellent.  Navel 
oranges  have  been  grafted  on  to  seedlings  and  produce 
large,  juicy,  fruits  of  good  flavor.     As  a  rule,  they  do  not 


28 

develop  as  rich  or  uniform  color  as  is  the  case  on  the 
mainland.  The  flavor,  however,  is  all  that  could  be  de- 
sired. Excellent  limes  and  lemons  are  grown  in  all  parts 
of  the  Islands.  During  1908  citrus  fruits,  to  the  value  of 
$75,000,  were  imported  into  the  Territory.  With  proper 
marketing  facilities,  and  with  a  little  attention  to  the 
cultivation  of  these  fruits,  the  local  markets  could  readily 
be  supplied  with  all  the  necessary  citrus  fruits  from  small 
gardens  and  orchards  on  the  various  islands. 

ROSELLE. 

The  cultivation  and  use  of  roselle  have  been  rapidly 
extended  during  the  past  few  years.  The  fleshy,  rose- 
colored  calyx  of  the  fruit,  and  the  young  seed  pod  are  used 
in  the  manufacture  of  jam  and  jelly.  The  plant  is  well 
adapted  to  Hawaii.  It  produces  a  yield  of  6,000  to 
10,000  pounds  of  fresh  fruit  per  acre.  Roselle  will  en- 
dure quite  severe  dro.ught  but  naturally  thrives  better 
with  a  reasonable  amount  of  rainfall.  In  our  climate,  it 
seems  best  to  sow  the  seed  in  March;  replant  when  the 
young  plants  are  six  to  eight  inches  high,  at  a  distance 
of  4x6  feet;  and  maintain  the  soil  in  good  tilth.  Several 
companies  are  manufacturing  roselle  jam  and  jelly  for 
local  consumption  and  for  shipment  to  the  mainland.  The 
demand,  however,  is  now  in  excess  of  the  supply.  Re- 
cently, a  manufacturer  in  California  has  made  request  for 
10,000  to  30,000  pounds  of  dried  roselle  calyces  annually 
for  use  in  his  factory.  A  price  of  eighteen  cents  per 
pound  is  offered.  The  present  supply  is  quite  insufficient 
to 'fill  this  one  order. 

GRAPES. 

The  climate  of  Hawaii  is  adapted  for  the  production 
of  grapes,  so  that  fresh  fruit  may  be  had  for  the  table 
at  any  season  of  the  year.  This  can  most  easily  be  accom- 
plished by  proper  cultivation  and  pruning.  At  present 
the  grape  industry  is  largely  in  the  hands  of  Portuguese, 
who  produce  grapes  for  table  purposes  and  also  for  the 
manufacture  of  wine.  At  least  two  wineries  are  now 
in  operation  in  the  Islands,  one  of  them  being  a  co-opera- 
tive enterprise.  Not  enough  attention  has  been  given 
to  the  cultivation  of  grapes  to  secure  a  good  table  fruit. 
Even  in  one  of  the  chief  grape  regions,  on  the  island  of 
Maui,  some  of  the  grape  vines  are  allowed  to  run  over 


GRAPE    ARBOR    IN    BEARING.      GRAPES    MAY    BE 
PICKED  EVERY  DAY  IN  THE  YEAR  IN  HAWAII. 


trellises,  without  pruning,  until  they  attain  a  length  of  a 
hundred  feet  or  more.  Obviously,  with  such  neglect, 
good  table  fruit  cannot  be  expected;  and  with  the  absence 
of  cultivation  and  insufficient  sunlight,  the  sugar  content 
of  the  grapes  is  too  low.  The  only  variety  of  grape  grown 
commercially  is  the  "Isabella."  A  number  of  other  varie- 
ties, superior  for  table  purposes,  have  been  tested,  and 
some  of  them  have  given  good  promise.  Their  cultiva- 
tion, however,  has  not  been  prosecuted  in  a  systematic 
manner. 

COCOANUT. 

This  is  perhaps  one  of  the  few  palms  which  is  indige- 
nous to  the  Islands.  It  was  propagated  for  centuries  by 
the  natives,  being  largely  in  control  of  the  Chiefs.  Some 
of  the  cocoanut  groves,  which  are  now  conspicuous 
features  of  our  landscape,  are  an  inheritance  from  olden 
times.  Since  1904,  there  has  been  a  new  interest  in  the 
planting  of  cocoanuts,  and  plantations  of  this  nut  are 
being  increased  on  all  of  the  islands.  The  cocoanut  is 
one  of  the  most  ornamental  of  tropical  trees  and  should 
ultimately  constitute  a  fringe  along  the  shore-line  of  our 
Islands.  At  least  one  company  is  going  into  the  business 
of  raising  cocoanuts  on  a  large  scale.  This  seems  to  be 
a  far-sighted  policy,  and  might  well  be  imitated  by  others 
who  have  interest  in  other  things,  and  who  can  wait  for 
the  maturing  of  their  plantations. 

There  is  an  increasing  demand  for  the  products  ob- 
tained from  the  cocoanut.  Cocoanut  oil  and  butter  every- 
where find  a  ready  market.  The  by-product,  obtained 
from  the  manufacture  of  cocoanut  oil,  (and  known  as 
cocoanut  meal),  is  valued  as  a  concentrated  stock  feed 
and  also  as  a  fertilizer.  The  coir  fiber  obtained  from  the 
husks,  is  extensively  used  for  cordage,  matting  and  simi- 
lar purposes;  while  the  consumption  of  the  dried  meat 
of  the  cocoanut,  or  "copra,"  is  increasing.  The  cocoanut 
seems  to  require  fertile  soil,  good  drainage  and  the  pre- 
valence of  winds.  In  some  of  our  plantations  the  trees 
are  too  close.  The  planting  distance  should  be  not  less 
than  thirty  feet  each  way.  While  our  climate  is  not 
strictly  tropical,  but  rather  sub-tropical,  the  yield  of  nuts 
is  nevertheless  satisfactory,  varying  from  twelve  to  250 
nuts  annually  per  tree,  or  about  12,000  nuts  per  acre. 
There  is,  of  course,  a  long  period  to  wait  for  income  from 
plantations  of  cocoanuts;   but  after  they  once  come  into 


30 

bearing,  they  require  little  or  no  attention  except  the 
gathering  of  the  nuts.  There  are  many  varieties  of  cocoa- 
nuts  in  Hawaii,  but  the  Samoan  variety  is  generally 
considered  the  most  profitable  to  raise.  A  few  trees  of, 
a  strictly  dwarf  variety  are  known,  on  which  the  nuts 
are  borne  within  three  or  four  feet  of  the  ground.  This 
variety  is  not  only  highly  ornamental,  but  a  good  yielder 
and  a  very  convenient  variety  for  picking. 

VANILLA. 

As  is  generally  known,  vanilla  is  the  dried  and  fer- 
mented pod  of  a  twining  orchid,  which  requires  a  tropi- 
cal climate  for  its  growth.  The  plants  are  allowed  to 
climb  on  a  trellis  or  on  the  trunks  of  trees.  Propagation 
is  by  means  of  cuttings.  The  vanilla  plant  blooms  at 
the  third  year  from  planting,  and  the  pods  mature  about 
six  to  eight  months  later.  The  flowers  require  pollina- 
tion by  hand;  but  this  process  is  readily  learned.  The 
curing  and  fermentation  of  vanilla  pods  is  a  somewhat 
difficult  and  complicated  manipulation. 

There  are  only  two  or  three  commercial  plantings  of 
vanilla  on  our  Islands,  and  reliable  statistics  regarding 
the  yield  are  not  yet  forthcoming.  The  quality,  however, 
is  excellent;  and  the  estimated  yield,  about  120  pounds 
of  fermented  pods  per  acre.  At  this  rate,  the  money 
value  of  the  crop  should  be  about  $100  per  acre.  There 
are  large  tracts  of  land  which  could  be  devoted  to  vanilla, 
particularly  in  the  Kona  district  of  Hawaii. 

•      PAPAYA. 

The  papaya  is  the  universal  breakfast  fruit  of  the 
majority  of  the  inhabitants  of  Hawaii.  The  trees  are 
found  in  every  dooryard  on  all  the  islands.  It  would 
seem  at  first  thought,  therefore,  that  everyone's  table 
must  be  supplied  from  his  own  yard,  and  that  there 
would  be  commercial  market  for  this  fruit.  Nevertheless, 
good  profits  are  being  made  from  the  commercial  cultiva- 
tion of  papaya.  In  regular  orchards,  they  should  be 
planted  about  eight  feet  apart  each  way,  in  well  drained 
and  cultivated  soils,  where  an  average  rainfall  may  be 
expected,  or  where  irrigation  can  be  practiced.  The 
papaya  bears  in  about  one  year  from  the  seed.  The  ap- 
parent varieties  are  numerous,  although  few  of*  them 
have  been  well  established;  and  the  seed  does  not  breed 


'■"'  if 

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VANILLA,    SHOWING    PODS    AND    MANNER    OF 
GROWTH. 


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COMMERCIAL  PAPAIA  ORCHARD. 


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31 

true.  The  varieties  are  commonly  classified  as  "long," 
"half  long"  and  "round,".  The  "long,"  or  Mexican  type, 
is  the  best  in  flavor  and  is  a  hermaphrodite.  The  weight 
of  the  papaya  fruit  varies  enormously;  in  some  cases, 
the  fruits  weigh  as  much  as  eighteen  pounds.  The. tree, 
when  properly  cared  for  and  fertilized,  yields  a  heavy 
crop  of  fruit.  There  is  an  excellent  local  market  for 
the  varieties  of  best  flavor.  If  attention  were  given  to 
the  shipping  properties  of  the  papaya,  it  would  be  an 
■easy  matter'to  develop  a  variety,  which  could  be  success- 
fully distributed  on  the  Coast.  At  present  the  average 
papaya  will  hold  its  texture  for  only  about  eight  days 
after  picking.  On  many  of  the  ranches,  and  in  gardens, 
papayas  of  poor  flavor,  and  large  size,  are  raised  as  pig 
feed. 

FLOWERS. 

The  mainland  visitor,  on  first  coming  to  Hawaii,  will 
perhaps  be  impressed  by  the  relative  scarcity  of  herba- 
ceous flowers.  Nearly  all  of  our  trees  and  shrubs  bear 
ornamental  or  beautiful  flowers  and  we  have  depended 
upon  those  for  ornamentation,  rather  than  upon  delicate 
annuals  and  herbaceous  perennials.  Nevertheless,  carna- 
tions, asters  and  violets  are  in  bloom  at  all  seasons  of 
the  year;  and  these  constitute  the  chief  herbaceous  or- 
namental flowers  which  are  grown  on  a  commercial  scale. 
Excellent  roses  could  be  produced  here  if  it  were  not  for 
the  Japanese  beetle  and  mealy-bugs.  Until  these  are  more 
effectively  controlled  by  parasites,  or  otherwise,  it  will 
remain  difficult  to  produce  roses  without  having  the 
leaves  eaten  off  or  distorted.  There  are  innumerable 
shrubby  or  arboreal  ornamentals,  the  mere  list  of  which 
would  be  too  long  in  this  connection.  Some  of  the  most 
striking  are  poinciana,  golden  shower,  hibiscus  and  poin- 
settia.  There  are  a  large  number  of  native  species  of 
hibiscus,  and  these  have  been  hybridized  and  otherwise 
manipulated,  until  we  have  75  or  more  varieties,  which 
produce  an  exceptionally  beautiful   flowering  hedge. 

There  is  constant  demand  for  seed,  cuttings  and  young 
plants  for  ornamental  purposes;  and  strangely  enough, 
no  commercial  nursery  has  been  established  in  the  Terri- 
tory. There  should  be  such  an  institution;  and  for  the 
right  man,  the  opening  is  very  promising  from  a  business 
standpoint. 


32 

SWEET  POTATOES  AND   OTHER  VEGETABLES. 

Sweet  potatoes  have  always  constituted  one  of  the  main 
food  products  of  the  native  Hawaiians.  A  great  variety 
of  this  vegetable  has  been  produced,  in  respect  of  size, 
shape,  color,  characteristics  of  the  leaf  and  habits  of 
growth.  The  quality  of  the  best  varieties  is  excellent, 
and  the  local  demand  is  constantly  increasing.  The  local 
markets  alone  would  consume  three  or  four  times  the 
quantity  of  sweet  potatoes  now  produced  if  attention  were 
given  to  the  problem  of  securing  a  uniform  quality,  shape 
and  color  of  sweet  potatoes;  and  a  uniform  supply  for  the 
market.  This  statement  is  based,  not  merely  on  a  theo- 
retical estimate,  but  upon  the  declarations  of  local  deal- 
ers. In  addition  to  sweet  potatoes,  we  can  produce  all 
sorts  of  vegetables  for  home  use  and  for  the  local  market. 
In  former  d^ys,  Irish  potatoes  were  raised  here  and  ship- 
ped to  California.  An  excellent  quality  of  Irish  potato 
can  be  produced  on  any  of  the  islands  at  moderate  alti- 
tudes. During  the  year  1908  Irish  potatoes  and  onions 
were  imported  to  the  value  of  $130,000.  This  material 
could  be  supplied  by  local  small  producers  if  attention 
were  given  to  the  matter.  A  large  part  of  the  market 
gardening  now  done  in  Hawaii  is  in  the  hands  of  Chinese, 
who  are  everywhere  conspicuously  successful  and  clever 
at  this  line  of  work.  There  is  no  reason,  however,  why 
market  gardening  should  not  be  as  profitable  for  white 
men  and  native  Hawaiians.  Even  the  production  of  tarq 
could  be  profitably  increased  to  a  considerable  extent. 
Requests  for  taro  flour  have  recently  been  received  from 
dealers  on  the  mainland,  and  such  products  would  find 
considerable  sale  if  the  markets  were  studied  and  care- 
fully considered. 

SILK. 

Mulberry  trees  were  introduced  into  Hawaii  in  1837 
and  from  time  to  time  some  interest  has  been  awakened 
in  silk  raising.  Mulberries  thrive  on  all  of  our  Islands 
and  the  quality  of  silk  produced  at  the  Hawaii  Experi- 
ment Station  has  been  pronounced  satisfactory.  Since 
a  large  part  of  our  laboring  population  is  composed  of 
Asiatics  and  Portuguese,  it  would  appear  that  we  have 
a  .supply  of  cheap  labor,  in  the  women  and  children  of 
these  races,  to  raise  the  raw  silk.  The  silk  industry,  how- 
ever, has  never  assumed  a  commercial  form.  Doubtless 
if  a  reeling  establishment  were  located  here  and  a  reason- 
able price  were  offered  for  cocoons,  the  silk  industry  could 
be  encouraged  in  its  development. 


33 


BEES. 


The  honey  crop  last  year  was  nearly  1,000  tons,  and 
the  production  of  wax,  about  fifteen  tons,  with  a  total 
value  of  about  $65,000.  The  present  investment  in  api- 
culture is  about  $200,000,  and  there  are  20,000  colonies 
of  bees.  In  certain  places  the  industry  could  be  further 
developed,  but  for  the  most  part,  the  rights  for  bee  pas- 
turage are  already  taken.  Our  honey  plants  are  numer- 
ous and  productive,  and  the  honey  flow,  while  not  strictly 
continuous  the  year  round,  may  best  be  stated  as  coming 
in  two  seasons.  Algaroba,  wiliwili,  lantana,  nasturtium, 
lehua,  and  many  other  flowering  trees  furnish  honey  to- 
gether with  a  great  variety  of  herbaceous  plants. 

FORAGE  PLANTS. 

In  the  agricultural  diversification,  which  has  been 
taking  place  in  Hawaii  for  the  past  few  years,  too  little 
attention  has  been  given  to  forage  plants,  with  the  result 
that  large  quantities  of  hay  and  grain  are  annually  im- 
ported at  exceedingly  high  prices  as  compared  with  those 
on  the  mainland.  We  have  excellent  conditions,  how- 
ever, for  growing  all  sorts  of  forage  plants  and  an  active 
movement  is  now  taking  place  in  that  direction. 

Alfalfa  seems  no  more  difficult  to  get  started  here  than 
on  the  mainland.  The  plant  does  not  grow  as  tall,  and 
the  yie^ld  per  cutting  is  not  as  high  as  in  the  best  alfalfa 
regions  of  the  mainland;  but  the  stems  are  fine  and 
growth  is  very  rapid.  Where  water  is  supplied  for  irri- 
gation, or  where  the  rainfall  is  sufficient  without  irriga- 
tion, from  ten  to  thirteen  crops  per  year  may  be  cut.  On 
one  of  the  large  dairy  farms  near  Honolulu  a  cutting  is 
made  once  per  month  the  year  round.  On  account  of  the 
fact  that  alfalfa  can  be  had  green  every  month,  there 
is  less  necessity  for  making  hay  of  this  crop  than  on  the 
mainland.  A  good  quality,  of  alfalfa  hay,  however,  is 
cured  in  several  localities. 

Cow  peas  grow  vigorously  and  furnish  an  abundant 
green  forage  and  seed  for  cattle  and  hogs.  This  plant  is 
particularly  susceptible  to  the  attacks  of  plant-lice  as 
compared  with  other  legumes.  It  serves,  however,  as  a 
good  cover  crop  in  orchards,  rubber  and  coffee  planta- 
tions. 

Jack  beans  produce  an  immense  quantity  of  green 
forage,    which    has   been    found    v<iry    effective    in    dairy 


feeding.  This  plant  is  particularly  immune  to  the  at- 
tacks of  plant-lice  and  other  insects.  The  beans  are  not 
desirable  feed  when  ripe,  but  if  cut  while  the  beans  are 
still  green,  the  whole  plant  furnishes  good  forage. 

Soy  beans  are  particularly  adapted  to  our  conditions 
on  account  of  their  vigorous  growth  and  the  active  mar- 
ket demand.  The  local  price  for  the  beans  for  use  in  the 
manufacture  of  soy  sauce  is  3  ^^  cents  per  pound.  At  this 
rate,  it  has  been  found  possible  to  obtain  $75.00  per  acre 
for  the  crop  of  soy  beans  in  our  coffee  plantations.  The 
varieties  used  for  stock  feed  are  now  being  planted  quite 
extensively  as  forage  for  hogs. 

Sorghum  is  grown  for  green  forage  on  most  of  the 
dairy  farms  and  ranches.  It  ratoons  readily,  producing 
four  or  five  crops  per  year,  and  does  not  need  replanting 
for  several  years.  Horses  and  other  stock  are  fond  of 
green  sorghum,  and  it  has  the  further  advantage  of  being 
resistant  to  the  attacks  of  cut-worms. 

Wheat  hay  is  the  kind  of  hay  most  imported  from 
California  for  local  use.  The  added  cost  of  freight  makes 
it  a  rather  expensive  forage  for  our  use.  A  number  of 
experimental  plantings  of  wheat  for  hay  are  being  made 
this  year.  On  one  ranch  two  tons  of  wheat  have  been 
planted  for  this  purpose.  When  it  is  remembered  that  in 
the  early  days,  the  Hawaiians  furnished  California  with 
wheat,  there  seems  little  doubt  of  the  success  of  this  ven- 
ture. 

Rice  hay  has  been  grown  in  a  number  of  localities, 
varying  greatly  in  rainfall  and  altitude.  Both  Upland 
rice  and  salt  marsh  rice  have  been  used  for  this  purpose. 
A  large  crop  of  hay  of  excellent  quality  has  been  ob- 
tained and  most  stock  seem  to  relish  the  hay.  An  abund- 
ance of  bedding  material  is  obtained  from  rice  straw  and 
rice  chaff. 

Rhodes  grass,  Guinea  grass  and  Para  grass  have 
made  a  place  for  themselves  in  our  dairy  and  cattle  in- 
dustry. Rhodes  grass  is  particularly  drouth  resistant  and 
produces  a  large  crop  of  good  quality  in  dry  locations 
on  ranches.  Para  grass  requires  more  moisture,  but 
grows  rapidly  and  ratoons  promptly.  It  is,  therefore, 
much  used  as  a  dairy  feed  and  as  green  forage  for  the 
family  driving  horse. 

In  the  line  of  range  grasses,  a  great  variety  of  drouth 
resistant  species  from  the  mainland,  Australia  and  Africa 


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35 

have  been  introduced.  The  grazing  areas  are  gradually 
being  improved  by  the  distribution  of  desirable  species 
of  grass. 

LIVE  STOCK. 

About  1,600,000  acres  of  land  are  used  for  grazing 
purposes.  On  the  ranches,  v^hich  control  this  land,  there 
are  130,000  cattle,  valued  at  $1,699,999;  100,000  sheep, 
valued  at  $126,000;  in  addition  to  horses,  mules  and  hogs. 
The  ranching  business  is  almost  entirely  in  the  hands 
of  American  citizens.  In  the  early  days  of  ranching  in 
Hav^raii,  cattle  and  sheep,  as  well  as  horses,  were  practi- 
cally in  a  wild  condition,  ranging  over  the  graziijg  lands, 
and  also  through  the  mountain  forests.  At  present  the 
best  ranches  are  fenced  and  divided  by  cross-fences  into 
large  pastures  for  the  better  manipulation  of  the  stock,  - 
and  the  control  of  the  grazing  areas.  In  order  to  increase 
the  carrying  capacity  of  the  range,  and  to  prevent  losses 
which  have  occurred  in  the  seasons  of  drought,  it  is 
necessary  to  increase,  as  greatly  as  possible,  forage  pro- 
duction on  ranches  by  planting  alfalfa,  corn,  sorghum, 
peas,  cassava,  and  various  other  crops.  An  active  move- 
ment in  this  direction  is  now  taking  place.  In  the  fol- 
lowing paragraphs  a  few  details  are  given  regarding  the 
status  of  different  lines  of  animal  industry. 

The  annual  consumption  of  beef  in  the  Islands  is  about 
14.000  carcasses  and  the  demands  for  beef'are  increasing 
quite  rapidly.  Thus  far  the  ranches  have  been  able  to 
produce  all  the  beef  that  is  required,  and  the  increased 
demands  for  beef  can  be  met  by  better  management  of 
ranches,  particularly  in  producing  larger  quantities  of 
cultivated -forage.  The  chief  breeds  of  cattle  raised  for 
beef  are  Devon,  Hereford,  Shorthorn  and  Holstein.  On 
some  of  the  ranches  the  Herefords  are  decidedly  preferred 
on  account  of  their  ideal  beef  form  and  large  size.  In 
other  localities,  the  Devons  give  better  results  on  account 
of  being  more  active  on  the  range,  and  perhaps  less  sus- 
ceptible to  attacks  of  sore  eyes.  Shorthorns  and  Angus 
have  given  less  satisfactory  results  than  on  the  mainland. 
If  the  beef  market  showed  more  discrimination  as  to 
quality  of  beef,  there  would  be  less  demand  for  Holstein 
beef.  but.  at  present  this  breed  gives  a  good  account  of 
itself  on  the  range  and  produces  a  quality  of  beef  which 
satisfies  the  ordinary  consumer. 

The  greater  number  of  sheep  are  located  on  six  ranches, 
two  of  the  smaller  islands  being  practically  given  over 


36 

to  the  sheep  industry.  The  breeds  raised  on  these  ranches 
are  chiefly  forms  of  Merino  and  Shropshire.  The  larger 
breeds,  such  as  Cotswold  and  Lincoln,  do  .not  compare 
favorably  as  range  sheep  with  the  Merino  and  Shrop- 
shire under  our  conditions.  Only  a  few  of  the  sheep 
ranches  are  in  a  position  to  produce  a  better  quality  of 
wool  than  that  obtained  at  present,  and  to  this  end 
importations  of  fine  Merino  breeding  stock  have  been 
made.  A  recent  shipment  of  Bulldog  Merino  was  received 
from  New  Zealand.  On  large  areas  of  our  sheep  ranges 
there  are  too  many  burrs,  which  get  into  the  wool  and 
lower  its  value.  In  such  localities,  it  seems  desirable  to 
raise  sheep  for  mutton  rather  than  wool.  For  this  pur- 
pose Shropshire,  grade  Merino  and  Tunis  sheep  offer 
much  promise.  All  of  our  sheep  are  allowed  to  range  with- 
out interference  from  herders.  This  kind  of  management 
gives  far  better  results  than  can  be  obtained  from  the 
close  herding  system,  such  as  is  universally  practiced  on 
the  large  sheep  ranches  of  the  Western  states.  By  alter- 
nating sheep  and  cattle  in  fenced  pastures,  containing 
2,000  to  10,000  acres,  there  is  one  great  advantage  in 
the  cleanliness  of  the  range  which  is  thus  maintained. 
The  grasses  and  plants,  which  are  left  standing  by  cattle, 
are  eaten  by  the  sheep  so  that  the  range  is  covered  with 
a  more  uniform  stand  of  grasses  and  no  one  weed  or  group 
of  weeds  is  neglected  to  occupy  the  range  to  the  exclusion 
of  more  desirable  plants.  There  is  room  for  the  extension 
of  the  sheep  industry,  since  about  500  carcasses  of  mut- 
ton are  imported  monthly  to  satisfy  the  market.  The 
present  wholesale  price  for  dressed  mutton  is  about  ten  * 
cents  a  pound.  Our  wool  exports  in  1908  amounted  to 
$58,000,  the  wool  being  marketed  in  Boston  at  from 
twelve  to  twenty  cents  a  pound. 

The  pork  production  of  Hawaii  is  not  nearly  suflBcient 
for  home  consumption.  During  the  past  year  one  firm 
alone  in  Honolulu  imported  35,000  pounds  of  pork  loins 
from  the  mainland.  There  is  a  constant  demand  for  pork 
at  ten  cents  a  pound,  live  weight,  a  figure  considerably 
above  that  obtained  for  pork  on  the  mainland.  The 
climate  of  the  Islands  is  well  adapted  for  raising  hogs. 
They  can  be  allowed  to  run  at  will  on  green  pasture  or 
on  the  range.  There  are  hogs  on  all  of  the  Islands,  which 
have  escaped  from  cultivation  and  find  abundant  forage 
in  the  hills  and  mountains.  The  necessary  expenditure 
for  buildings  is  very  slight.  By  the  use  of  local  grain 
feeds,  such  as  algaroba  bean,  corn,  alfalfa,  soy  beans,  etc., 


37 

it  is  possible  to  produce  pork  at  two  or  three  cents  per 
pound.  The  difficulties  met  with  in  hog  raising  here  are 
no  greater  than  on  the  mainland.  There  are  outbreaks 
of  hog  cholera  from  time  to  time,  but  a  careful  system 
of  quarantining  imported  breeding  stock,  and  the  con- 
finement of  hogs  in  fenced  areas,  will  obviate  most  danger 
from  this  source.  The  Berkshire  is  to  be  recommended  as 
probably  the  best  breed  for  our  conditions. 

Dairying  in  Hawaii  is  carried  on  chiefly  for  the  pro- 
duction of  milk.  Only  small  quantities  of  butter  are  made 
here,  and  no  cheese.  The  present  market  price  of  milk 
is  ten  or  twelve  cents  per  quart.  There  is  room  for  much 
improvement  in  the  dairy  industry  and  for  considerable 
increase  in  the  production  of  milk.  About  45  dairies  fur- 
nish milk  to  the  city  of  Honolulu,  part  of  these  being  well 
managed  by  intelligent  dairymen,  while  others  are  in  the 
hands,  of  ignorant  Portuguese,  who  understand  little  of 
the  sanitary  requirements  of  clean  milk  production.  In 
some  localities  an  excellent  quality  of  butter  is  produced. 
A  few  of  the  outlying  dairies  in  the  mountain  regions 
are  managed  according  to  modern  ideas  of  sanitation  and' 
yield  excellent  returns.  Perhaps  the  chief  reason  for  the 
small  profit,  complained  of  in  dairying,  is  to  be  found  in 
the  low  milk  yield  of  dairy  cows.  Almost  no  attention 
has  been  given  to  the  selection  of  cows  for  large  yield. 
The  result  of  this  neglect  is  that  the  average  cow  gives 
about  one-half  as  much  milk  as  the  average  cow  on  the 
mainland.  It  is  obvious  that  a  few  enterprising  dairy- 
men, with  good  training  in  all  of  the  technique  of  the 
business,  could  find  room  for  the  establishment  of  an  in- 
dustry with  large  profits  in  Hawaii. 

There  is  a  steady  demand  for  horses  for  dray  purposes 
in  towns,  and  as  draft  and  saddle  animals  on  plantations. 
The  local  demand  is  nearly  met  by  local  production,  but 
last  year  nearly  200  horses  were  imported.  The  quality 
of  the  draft  and  saddle  horses  could  be  improved.  On  the 
large  ranches  importations  of  the  finest  quality  of  breed- 
ing animals  have  recently  been  made;  in  fact,  the  great 
importance  of  fine,  pure  bred  sires  is  quite  well  recog- 
nized. On  one  ranch  we  have  six  or  eight  Percheron  stal- 
lions which  would  compare  favorably  with  those  of  any 
locality.  These  stallions  are  at  present  being  used  for 
the  production  of  heavy  draft  horses  and  also  for  the  pur- 
pose of  securing  mares  suitable  for  mule  raising.  There 
is  room,  however,  for  the  further  improvement  of  draft 
animals  and  a  reasonable  number  of  excellent  draft  ani- 


■- --: . , »- < : , 

mals  can  always  be  marketed  locally  at  remunerative 
prices.  The  demand  for  saddle  horses  is  very  active. 
There  is  an  excellent  opening  for  a  skilled  breeder  to 
improve  the  type  of  saddle  horses  by  the  use  of  American 
Saddle  stallions  on  native  mares. 

Mules  are  always  in  demand  on  plantations  and  the 
local  production  is  insufficient  to  supply  the  market. 
During  1B08,  750  mules  were  imported  and  sold  at  about 
$250.00  per  head.  Afew  of  the  plantations  are  making 
preparation  to  raise  mules  for  their  own  use,  but  there 
is  a  good  opportunity  for  an  expert  breeder  to  produce 
mules  for  general  work  purposes  about  towns  and  on 
plantations.  We  have  a  great  number  of  native  Jacks, 
which  are  constantly  used  as  pack  aniamls,  and  some  of 
the  stallions  have  been  used  in  mule  production.  It  is 
easy  to  understand  that  the  mules  obtained  in  this  way 
are  under-sized  and  of  undesirable  color.  Some  unfortun- 
ate experience  has  been  had  in  importing  standard  Jacks 
for  breeding  purposes.  In  several  instances,  the  buyers 
have  received  very  inferior  animals.  A  considerable 
number  of  standard  bred  Jacks,  if  raised  and  acclimated 
in  the  Islands,  could  be  sold  to  plantations  for  use  in  mule 
production. 

Nearly  all  of  the  standard  breeds  of  poultry  are  raised 
to  some  extent  in  the  Territory.  At  the  annual  Poultry 
Show  in  Honolulu  fine  specimens  of  these  breeds  are  ex- 
hibited and  a  poultry  judge  from  the  mainland  is  always 
invited  to  award  prizes.  The  commercial  production  of 
poultry,  however,  is  far  below  the  requirements  of  local 
trade,  and  as  a  result,  great  quantities  of  poultry  and 
eggs  are  constantly  imported  from  the  mainland.  When 
it  is  remembered  that  the  local  price  of  eggs  ranges  from 
40  to  60  cents  a  dozen,  and  that  of  ordinary  fowls,  from 
$10.00  to  $15.00  a  dozen,  it  is  evident  that  there  is  money 
in  poultry  for  the  man  who  knows  the  business.  There 
is  a  wide-spread  belief  that  the  diseases,  and  other  trou- 
bles which  the  poultrymen  meets,  are  more  serious  here 
than  on  the  mainland.  When  we  look  into  this  matter, 
we  find  that  sore  head,  or  roup,  and  mongoose  are  the 
chief  sources  of  trouble.  The  fowls  can  be  protected 
against  mongoose  by  the  construction  of  cheap  buildings 
and  the  use  of  mongoose-proof  fencing.  Moreover,  sore 
head  is  no  more  serious  here  than  in  many  parts  of  the 
mainland.  The  disease  is  apparently  carried  to  some 
extent  by  mosquitoes,  and  fowls  can  be  easily  protected 
against    mosquitoes    by    providing    cheap,    open    roosting 


houses,  screened  with  mosquito-wire.  A  number  of  men 
who  are  now  following  the  business  of  poultry  raising, 
are  making  good  profits  from  it;  and  there  is  room  for 
others.  The  raising  of  ducks  is  at  present  largely  in  the 
hands  of  Chinese,  who  control  large  areas  of  duck  ponds 
near  Honolulu.  This  line  of  poultry  industry,  could  also 
be  extended.  Geese  thrive  excellently  well  and  seem  to 
be  almost  unmolested  by  diseases  on  most  of  the  islands. 
Turkeys  are  subject  to  no  more  trouble  than  they  have 
on  the  mainland;  in  fact,  on  many  of  the  islands  domes- 
tic turkeys  have  escaped  and  easily  maintain  themselves 
in  a  wild  condition  in  the  forests. 

WHAT  HAWAII  OFFERS  TO  THE  MAINLAND  FARMER 

The  farmer  whose  experience  has  been  had  entirely  in 
temperate  climate,  may  wonder  what  he  has  to  expect 
in  a  subtropical  country  like  Hawaii.  Such  a  man  natur- 
ally hesitates  to  sever  his  connections  with  friends  and 
with  the  familiar  conditions  under  which  he  has  lived 
from  boyhood.  The  facing  of  new  conditions  in  an  un- 
familiar country  may  seem  a  serious  undertaking.  We 
have  conditions,  however,  which  should  appeal  to  a  large 
number  of  American  farmers.  In  the  first  place,  he  can 
raise  in  Hawaii  all  of  the  vegetables,  most  of  the  field 
crops,  and  some  of  the  fruits  with  which  he  is  familiar 
on  the  mainland.  In  addition  to  these  crops,  which  con- 
stitute the  agriculture  of  his  experience,  he  can  raise  the 
innumerable  tropical  fruits  which  are  found  in  Hawaii 
and  many,  or  all,  of  the  domestic  animals. 

Our  climate  should  appeal  to  many  as  a  welcome  relief 
from  the  sudden  and  trying  changes  of  temperature 
which  characterize  temperate  regions.  The  heat  is  not 
too  severe  for  the  white  farmer  to  do  manual  labor,  and 
the  joy  of  being  able  to  live  out  of  doors  practically  the 
year  round  is  not  to  be  lightly  brushed  aside.  The  crops 
with  which  the  mainland  farmer  is  familiar,  mature  in 
about  the  same  time  or  more  quickly  with  us  than  on 
the  mainland.  *  Tropical  crops,  however,  are  slow  in 
maturing  and  those  who  intend  to  engage  in  the  cultiva- 
tion of  rubber,  sisal,  Manila  hemp,  coffee,  avocado  or 
pineapples,  should  have  sufficient  means  to  tide  them 
over  the  period  during  which  he  must  wait  for  returns. 
Fortunately,  in  most  of  these  crops,  the  soil  will  also  sus- 
tain rapidly  maturing  crops  between  the  rows  of  the  slow 
maturing   plants.      The   insect   troubles,   with   which   we 


40 

« — — — ~~- . . — _ . ^__! . -^ : ._ . -.      .         ■ , , : 

must  contend  in  tropical  climates,  may  seem  very  annoy- 
ing at  first,  but  as  experience  accumulates,  they  are  no 
more  insuperable  than  similar  pests  of  temperate  clim- 
ates. An  unusual  amount  of  work  has  been  done  in  the 
introduction  and  propagation  of  parasites  with  most 
striking  results,  and  the  hope  is  confidently  entertained 
that  all  of  our  serious  pests  may  be  controlled  in  this 
manner  with  the  assistance  of  artificial  treatment.  The 
agricultural  problems  of  Hawaii  differ  from  those  on  the 
mainland,  but  are  no  more  difficult  to  the  man  who  comes 
armed  with  intelligence  and  possessed  of  energy. 

The  Hawaii  Experiment  Station  is  maintained  by  Gov- 
ernment funds,  assisted  by  occasional  Territorial  appro- 
priations. A  staff  of  trained  men  are  occupied  in  solving 
the  problems  which  confront  the  farmer  of  Hawaii,  and 
satisfactory  progress  along  this  line  has  been  recorded. 
The  sugar  planters  maintain  an  Experiment  Station  for 
the  investigation  of  all  problems  relating  to  the  sugar 
industry.  The  Territorial  Bureau  of  Agriculture  and 
Forestry  has  the  supervision  of  official  inspection  work 
in  preventing  the  introduction  of  insect  and  fungus  pests 
and  animal  diseases;  and  in  the  control  of-  the  forests. 
The  Territorial  Conservation  Commission  is  bending  its 
energies  to  the  conservation  of  our  various  resources, 
particularly  water  and  the  forests.  The  College  of  Ha- 
waii has  recently  been  established  with  functions  and 
purposes  similar  to  those  of  other  Agricultural  Colleges 
on  the  mainland.  The  American  farmer,  who  may  come 
to  Hawaii,  will  find  an  unusual  percentage  of  men  well 
trained  in  technical  lines,  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits. 

PUBLIC    LANDS. 

The  control  of  the  public  lands  of  Hawaii  is  vested  in 
the  Territorial  Government,  subject  to  some  general  con- 
ditions imposed  by  Congress  in  the  Organic  -Act  under 
which  the  Territory  is  constituted.  The  Governor, 
through  the  Commissioner  of  Public  Lands,  has  the  power 
to  lease  and  sell  lands  under  various  conditions  of  home- 
steading;  and  steps  are  now  being  taken  to  open  up  a 
number  of  tracts  in  lots  of  about  forty  acres  to  American 
settlers  under  easy  conditions. 

Although  the  law  provides  a  number  of  systems  by 
which  the  lands  may  be  disposed  of,  the  Governor  has  the 
option  of  making  use  of  such  form  as  he  sees  fit.  At  the 
present  time  a  special  form  of  agreement  is  being  used 


^ ___________„  Jii* 

which  has  proved  most  satisfactory  to  everybody;  makes 
the  conditions  extremely  easy  to  the  settler,  and  insures 
the  Territory  largely  against  speculators.  Land  opened 
under  this  agreement  is  sold  at  approximately  twenty- 
five  per  cent,  of  its  appraised  value,  and  the  payments 
may  be  extended  over  a  period  of  twenty  years,  and  with- 
out interest  for  the  first  ten  years.  A  five  per  cent,  pay- 
ment of  the  purchase  price  is  required  on  receiving. right 
of  entry,  and  two  years  later  a  second  five  per  cent,  is  due. 
Thereafter  five  per  cent,  per  year  is  required  to  be  paid. 

The  homesteader  cannot  receive  a  patent  in  less  than 
|:en  years,  but  at  the  end  of  that  time  may  make  all  his 
payments,  and  receive  a  patent  in  fee  simple. 

Five  years'  residence  upon  the  property  is  necessary  to 
secure  a  title,  but  the  settler  may  spread  this  over  the 
first  ten  years  if  he  desires,  thus  permitting  him  to  get 
his  land  to  producing  an  income  before  being  required  to 
actually  live  on  it. 

He  is  also  required  by  his  agreement  to  have  at  least 
ten  per  cent,  of  his  arable  land  under  cultivation  within 
two  years  after  date  of  sale,  and  ten  per  cent,  additional 
each  succeed'ing  year  until  he  shall  have  at  least  fifty  per 
cent,  under  tillage.  As  much  of  the  land  in  the  Territory 
is  interspersed  with  land  not  available  for  cultivation,  the 
agreement  requires  that  when  a  portion  of  a  settler's  land 
is  of  this  character,  he  shall  be  required  to  plant  it  in 
trees — five  trees  per  acre  within  the  first  two  years,  and 
five  additional  per  acre  each  succeeding  year  until  a  total 
of  twenty-five  per  acre  have  been  planted. 

Except  in  the  length  of  time  required  for  residence, 
and  to  obtain  a  patent,  the  conditions  of  the  Hawaiian 
law  is  in  every  way  easier  for  the  bona  fide  settler  than 
are  the  Federal  Homestead  Laws.  The  Land  Commis- 
sioner, with  the  consent  of  the  Governor,  is  empowered  to 
extend  time  of  payments,  of  cultivation,  tree-planting, 
etc.,  when  there  is  good  reason  why  the  settler  has  been 
unable  to  fulfill  any  of  these  conditions.  The  desire  of 
the  administration  and  of  public  sentiment  in  the  Terri- 
tory, to  have  the  lands  occupied  by  prosperous  American 
citizens,  insures  the  most  liberal  and  helpful  interest 
being  taken  in  every  person  taking  up  land  in  good  faith. 

Another  feature,  which  is  not  a  part  of  the  Federal 
laws,  and  which  should  appeal  most  strongly  to  the 
homeseeker,  is  the  provision  applying  to  forfeitures.  If 
a  settler  for  some  reason  fails  to  make  good  in  his  agree- 
ment, and  thereby  forfeits  his  holdings,  the  law  provides 


42 

that  upon  the  sale  of  the  surrendered  property,  an  ap- 
praisement shall  be  made  on  the  permanent  Improye- 
ments,  and  this  figure  added  as  an  upset  price  to  the 
value  when  the  land  is  resold.  The  first  holder  will  re- 
ceive the  value  of  the  improvements,  and  a  proportion  of 
any  increase  over  the  original  selling  price  of  the  land, 
less  such  rentals  and  costs  as  he  may  owe.  This  provision 
of  the  law  has  made  it  possible  for  the  settler  to  borrow 
money  for  developing  his  land,  giving  a  lien  on  his  build- 
ing and  other  improvements.  The  Territorial  Govern- 
ment recognizes  this  right,  and  has  a  form  of  mortgage 
acceptable  to  it  in  this  connection. 


For  further  information  about  the  Territory  of  Hawaii 
and  for  illustrated  folders,  address 

H.  P.  WOOD,  Secretary, 
Hawaii  Promotion  Committee, 
Honolulu, 

Hawaii. 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
BERKELEY 

Return  to  desk  from  which  borrowed. 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


1948 


LD  21-100m-9,'47(A5702sl6)476 


Gaylamount 

Pamphlet 

Binder 

(iaylord  Bros.,  Inc. 

Stockton,  Calif. 
T.M.  Reg.  U.S.  Pat.  Off. 


VB  34676 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

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